1951 Topps Red Back #46 Billy Goodman
About Billy Goodman
A chip fracture in his left ankle, suffered in a collision with Ferris Fain on April 30, 1950, cost Goodman a month and the first-base job, which rookie Walt Dropo kept. He was hitting .333 at the time. After filling in for the injured Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky, he took over left field on July 16 when Ted Williams broke his elbow in the All-Star Game, and he went 17-for-32 in one eight-game stretch. Johnny Pesky also sat out games so that Goodman could collect enough at-bats to qualify. He finished with 150 hits in 424 at-bats and 91 runs scored.
Billy Goodman was a left-handed hitting infielder who played sixteen major league seasons, from 1947 through 1962, with the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Colt .45s. A Concord, North Carolina, native who signed with the Atlanta Crackers, he reached Boston when the Red Sox bought his contract in February 1947, and he became known for extraordinary versatility, playing every position in the majors except catcher and pitcher. In 1950 he won the American League batting title with a .354 average and finished as runner-up for Most Valuable Player, recognized as the only man ever to take a batting crown without a regular position. A two-time All-Star, he batted over .290 in eleven seasons and finished with a .300 lifetime average and a .376 on-base percentage. Traded to Baltimore in 1957 and then to Chicago that winter, he platooned at third base for the pennant-winning 1959 White Sox, who lost the World Series to the Dodgers in six games, and he closed his playing days with Houston's inaugural club. He later managed in the minors and coached for the Atlanta Braves. He is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, but not the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · MLB.com
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 288 | 0 | 53 | 81 | 31 | 36 | 40 | 47 | 0 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1951 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: Team card Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- Red Back #4 Verne Stephens
- Red Back #10 Mel Parnell
- Red Back #20 Dominick DiMaggio
- Red Back #42 Ray Scarborough
- Red Back #43 Maurice McDermott
- Blue Back #5 Johnny Pesky
- Blue Back #37 Bobby Doerr
- Major League All-Star Walt Dropo
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #46 card?
It is Red Back #46 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Billy Goodman of the Boston Red Sox.
How many cards are in the 1951 Topps Baseball set?
135 cards across five issues - the Red Backs and Blue Backs (52 each), nine Team cards, and eleven each of Connie Mack's All-Stars and the Major League All-Stars. With the Zernial and Holmes variations and both versions of each Team card the master set is 146. All 135 count toward the full set; Jim Konstanty, Robin Roberts and Eddie Stanky, the three rarest Major League All-Stars, are so rarely seen that collectors often count a complete set as 132 without them.
Sources: PSA, BaseballCardPedia, Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-26.