1961 Topps #244 Chico Cardenas
About Chico Cardenas
Card #244 in the 1961 Topps set, a series-3 issue, is his second Topps card; his first was 1960 Topps #119, one of the Sport Magazine Rookie Star cards. It reports a 1960 debut season of .232 with one home run and 12 RBI in 48 games, begun when Cincinnati called him up in July to cover for an injured Roy McMillan. Manager Fred Hutchinson went into 1961 planning to platoon him at short with utility infielder Eddie Kasko, Cardenas the better fielder and Kasko the better hitter. Cardenas answered by hitting .308.
Leonardo Lazaro Cardenas Alfonso was born December 17, 1938 in Matanzas, Cuba, one of 15 children. He came to the United States in 1956 for a $500 bonus, claiming to be 17 -- the minimum age a major-league team could sign -- when he was 16, and he was among the last Cuban players out before the borders were sealed. Playing for the Havana Sugar Kings in 1959, he was hit by a stray bullet when celebrating fans fired rifles in the grandstand. Cardenas reached Cincinnati on July 25, 1960 and held the Reds' shortstop job for seven seasons, so steady in the field that he was known as Mr. Automatic. Teammates called him Chico, and later Leo. He was a five-time All-Star and won the National League Gold Glove at shortstop in 1965. Traded to Minnesota, he fielded .985 in 1971, the highest mark by an American League shortstop since records began in 1901, and was voted the Twins' most valuable player. He finished with the California Angels, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, batting .257 with 1,725 hits, 118 home runs and 689 RBI over 16 seasons. Cincinnati voted him into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1981.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · Trading Card Database
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 339 | 1 | 38 | 173 | 76 | 23 | 11 | 13 | 4 |
| SGC | 22 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. PSA counts are straight grades only; PSA half grades (PSA 1.5 among them) and qualified slabs are not included. SGC half grades fold down (8.5→8). Slabs of the two cards printed #463 are joined by description, never by number alone.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1961 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: #249 Cincinnati Reds Team
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #9 Bob Purkey
- #25 Reds' Heavy Artillery
- #66 Bill Henry
- #76 Harry Anderson
- #97 Jerry Lynch
- #110 Vada Pinson
- #135 Fred Hutchinson
- #162 Jay Hook
- #166 Danny Kravitz
- #175 Gene Freese
- #194 Gordy Coleman
- #215 Gus Bell
- #233 Joe Jay
- #276 Ray Rippelmeyer
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #244 card?
It is card #244 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chico Cardenas of the Cincinnati Reds.
How many cards are in the 1961 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 596 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 589, but #426, #587 and #588 were never issued and two different cards were printed #463 - Jack Fisher and the Milwaukee Braves Team card, catalogued 463b - and eight cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-05.