1961 Topps #174 Ray Semproch
About Ray Semproch
1961 Topps #174 puts Semproch with the Washington Senators, and he never threw a pitch for them. The brand-new expansion club claimed him in the Rule 5 draft on November 28, 1960, making him and John Gabler the first two players the second Senators franchise ever acquired, more than two weeks before the December 14 expansion draft stocked the rest of the roster. Then he hurt his back badly in camp on March 15, 1961. The Angels bought his contract on April 7 without knowing it, used him twice for a total of one inning, and the back injury ended his career.
Roman Anthony Semproch, a right-handed pitcher from Cleveland, was the top rookie pitcher in baseball for one summer. Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1951, he lost two years to the Marine Corps and did not reach the majors until April 15, 1958, at age 27. Armed with a sinker he learned in the minors, he went 13-11 with a 3.92 ERA and 12 complete games, leading all rookie pitchers in wins, complete games and innings pitched. Asthma dogged him and the magic did not last: he fell to 3-10 with a 5.40 ERA in 1959, and Philadelphia traded him to Detroit that December with Chico Fernandez. He was 3-0 in 17 relief outings for the Tigers before a June 1960 deal with the Dodgers for Clem Labine sent him to Triple-A Spokane; he never wore a Dodgers uniform. Washington's new expansion club claimed him that November, the Angels bought him the following April, and a spring back injury ended his career after two relief appearances. He finished 19-21 with a 4.42 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 85 games, then managed the bar at Broglio's, his family's restaurant in Independence, Ohio. He died October 27, 2024, at 93.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 292 | 0 | 15 | 102 | 115 | 41 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 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
More Washington Senators cards:
- #117 Dale Long
- #129 Ed Hobaugh
- #134 Mickey Vernon
- #146 Marty Keough
- #158 Pete Daley
- #187 Billy Klaus
- #206 Gene Green
- #229 Rudy Hernandez
- #239 Dave Sisler
- #259 John Schaive
- #275 Gene Woodling
- #293 Tom Sturdivant
- #318 Danny O'Connell
- #332 Dutch Dotterer
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #174 card?
It is card #174 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ray Semproch of the Washington Senators.
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.