Potential Baseball Hall of Famers' Rookie Cards are easy finds

There are eight guys with realistic chances at being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame tonight (announcement is set for 6 p.m. EST on MLB Network) and there's one good thing to be had here for potential new baseball card collectors or veterans still needing them.

Most of them have Rookie Cards can be easily landed thanks to the timeframe when they were made -- and they have plenty of cards to chase in boxes made since.

The first lock of the bunch is former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, MLB's career saves leader (652), who is a contender for the highest Hall of Fame voting percentage ever. That mark is 99.6 percent of ballots and is held by Ken Griffey Jr. back in 2016. Unlike Griffey -- and others you'll see here -- Rivera has just one Rookie Card. It can be found in 1992 Bowman, a set that added gloss and white stock into the brand's repertoire along with a deeper checklist (and guys in street clothes). Rivera has more than 5,500 different cards but only one gets the RC label -- that's a rarity in this day and age that helps bolster its value. (If you want one, buy it graded. They have been counterfeited.) >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

Who else is out there and potentially headed to Cooperstown?

Former Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay is another guy who appears to be a lock in this year's voting based on publicly revealed ballots so far. His death in an airplane accident in late 2017 will make his enshrinement a somber one -- he was just 40 years old -- but like Rivera there are plenty of fans out there who remember him well and plenty of cards to collect. While he's got about 5,000 different cards, only three are Rookie Cards and they all arrived in 1997 when Bowman took another twist -- Chrome. Halladay RCs appear in 1997 Bowman, 1997 Bowman Chrome and 1997 Bowman's Best and that's it. His autographs and parallels in those releases will be in more demand -- they're rarer -- but for the simple RC these are the three. >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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Mike Mussina was a first-round draft pick before he was a star pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees who racked up 270 wins but never won a World Series. His first-round draft status in 1990 as a star out of Stanford meant plenty of cardboard beginning in 1991. He's got more than 4,500 different cards but just four are RCs -- 1991 Bowman, Score, Fleer Ultra Update and Upper Deck. Bowman is probably the rarer of the ones from packs as that wax just isn't as plentiful as the others. But, Ultra was released in a box set and it might be the rarest of them all. (In this era, not much is all that rare.) >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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There's just one Canadian player in the Hall of Fame right now -- that's Cubs great Fergie Jenkins -- but Larry Walker is making moves ballot-wise to perhaps be the second. This former Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals slugger is a former MVP and home run champ who has been on the ballot eight times before but is gaining in percentages. Will he get 75 this year? Probably not, but he's gotten a lot closer and could be in soon. When it comes to his cards, he made his MLB debut there in 1990 and he's got more than 4,300 cards since. His Rookie Cards can be found in 1990 Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Leaf, O-Pee-Chee, Topps, Score and Upper Deck. The Topps Tiffany and Bowman Tiffany versions are also worth a (pricier) look, but his Leaf card has historically been one chased first. >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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Edgar Martinez is a former Seattle Mariners slugger who might be the first primary DH to make the Hall and he's got few early cards to show for a career that lasted a lot longer than many others. This two-time batting champ has just two early sets where he's got a card -- 1988 Donruss The Rookies and 1988 Fleer. The Donruss is a dud as it doesn't even show him on the front, while his Fleer has a glossy tin set version to compete with it among his 3,800 different cards. >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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You should know all about Barry Bonds' records and why he's not yet in the Hall. The early voting indicates he's close this year and there is plenty out there to find if you're looking for his stuff. His tally of nearly 12,500 different cards began back in 1986 when it comes to MLB releases. The single-season and career home run leader can be found in 1986 Donruss The Rookies, Fleer Update, Sportflics Rookies, Topps Traded and its Tiffany version. The Sportflics card might be the most-overlooked, while the Topps Traded and its Tiffany card might be your best iconic bets. (I like a clean Fleer Update, myself.) Since these are all update sets with limited distribution then (the ol' XRC designation), the 1987 cards of his also get RC nods. He can be found in Donruss, Fleer (plus glossy), Topps (plus Tiffany) and O-Pee-Chee. His priciest from 1987? Probably his super-rare Donruss Opening Day error card that shows Johnny Ray instead of him. Slabs change the dynamic here -- he's been heavily graded in the past -- but most of these can be found on the cheap ... even in non-elite-grade slabs. >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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Like Bonds, you should know the on-field results for Roger Clemens and the reasons why he's not yet been elected. Like Bonds, he's also got a good shot this year. Like Bonds, he's got a ton of cards -- presently pushing toward 15,000 cards with every new release. He's in both MLB and college sets regularly these days as he's a former Texas Longhorn, but his MLB stuff starts with one biggie, 1984 Fleer Update, and then four 1985 Rookie Cards in Donruss, Leaf, Fleer and Topps. The Update is the way to go -- but don't buy it raw. Fakes exist and it's far rarer than the others. (This is about the only card here that's not an easy find.) >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

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Curt Schilling has had his share of controversies in his career after baseball, but on the field he's a guy who ended his career with three World Series runs and big moments for a pair of franchises. In the postseason, he was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and 12o strikeouts in 133-plus innings. Those numbers are one big reason he's being looked at more and more over time, but there's one stat that matters more than any other for collectors. One -- his only Rookie Card is found in 1989 Donruss. High-grade copies of this one can sell pretty well as the skinny stock used for this one is flat-out awful and the color scheme makes issues as obvious as a tipped pitch. He's got more than 6,600 different cards and this one is an easy one to land, especially if you're not looking at graded copies. >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

Who'll get in? We'll find out in about four hours ...

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