A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on some type of paper stock or card stock. A card will usually feature one or more baseball players or other baseball-related sports figures. Cards are most often found in the US but are also common in countries such as Canada, Cuba, and Japan, where professional leagues are present with a substantial fan base to support them. Some companies that are notable for making these cards are Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Donruss, Bowman (which is a descendent of Topps), and Playoff Contenders. Baseball cards can be highly collectible. Many antique stores contain a wide variety of baseball cards. One reason for baseball cards being collectible is that they have been around for a long time. Some baseball cards can be worth thousands of dollars.

While baseball cards were first produced in the United States, as the popularity of baseball spread to other countries, so too did the production of baseball cards. Sets appeared in Japan as early as 1898, in Cuba as early as 1909 and in Canada as early as 1912.

George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914–1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164). Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a mark first eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with 61. Ruth's lifetime record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when it was surpassed by Hank Aaron. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth also hit for a high batting average: his .342 lifetime average is the tenth highest in baseball history, and in one season (1923) he batted .393, a Yankee record. Ruth dominated the era in which he played. He led the league in home runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage and OPS thirteen times each, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each of those totals represents a modern record.

Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980), is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner. He was the runner-up in the National League MVP voting for the 2007 Major League Baseball season. He won the 2007 National League Championship Series MVP as he helped guide the Rockies to their first-ever National League pennant and World Series appearance.

Holliday was recruited out of Stillwater High School, in Oklahoma to play quarterback at Oklahoma State, but he chose to sign with the Colorado Rockies and was signed by scout Pat Daugherty. As a senior, Holiday earned All-American honors in football and baseball and also earned his region's Gatorade Player of the Year award in both sports. He also competed for the 1997 USA Junior National Team.

On December 14, 2007, Holliday had his #24 high school jersey retired in a ceremony at Stillwater High School. Businesses in Stillwater were also asked to honor Holliday that day by posting a "Welcome Home Matt Holliday" message on a marquee or window.

David Richard Freese (born April 28, 1983) is an American third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). For the Cardinals, Freese batted .545 with 12 hits in the 2011 National League Championship Series (NLCS), and set a MLB postseason record with 21 runs batted in (RBIs), earning the NLCS MVP Award, World Series MVP Award, and the Babe Ruth Award, naming him the MVP of the MLB postseason.

A star high school player, Freese declined a college baseball scholarship from the University of Missouri, a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) baseball program in the Big 12 Conference. Needing a break from baseball, he sat out his freshman year of college before feeling a renewed urge to play the game. He transferred to St. Louis Community College-Meramec, a junior college, where he played for one season before transferring to the University of South Alabama.

The San Diego Padres drafted Freese out of South Alabama in the ninth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. Before the 2008 season, the Cardinals acquired Freese for Jim Edmonds. He made his MLB debut on Opening Day 2009 due to an injury to incumbent third baseman Troy Glaus. Despite suffering injuries in his minor league career and first two MLB seasons, Freese emerged as the Cardinals' best hitter during their 2011 World Series championship season.