1963 Topps #228 1963 Rookie Stars
On this card: Max Alvis, Bob Bailey, Ed Kranepool, Pedro Oliva
The front of this card prints Tony Oliva under his legal name, Pedro Oliva - a name form rather than a misprint. Oliva was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022.
About this card
The twenty Rookie Stars cards, four players each and all titled "1963 Rookie Stars", carry the rookie class - Pete Rose on #537, Willie Stargell on #553, Tony Oliva and Ed Kranepool on #228, Rusty Staub on #544, Bill Freehan on #466 and Dave McNally on #562. Three of them (#169, #208, #544) are rookie cards for only some of the men pictured.
The story on this card
Card #228 is Alvis's rookie card and one of the keys to the 1963 set, a third-series Rookie Stars panel he shares with Pittsburgh's Bob Bailey, the Mets' Ed Kranepool and Minnesota's Tony Oliva. The major league record behind it was twelve September games in 1962: a .216 average, three RBI, no home runs. That spring Alvis beat out Woodie Held for the third-base job, with Held shifting to second, and he answered with the best season of his career. The Cleveland chapter of the writers' association named him the Indians' 1963 Man of the Year. Max Alvis was Cleveland's regular third baseman for most of the 1960s, a two-time All-Star who set career highs as a rookie in 1963, came back from spinal meningitis the next summer, and led American League third basemen in putouts four times.
Card #228 puts Bailey on a four-player Rookie Stars card from the set's third series, his first Topps appearance and one of the key rookie cards of the issue. He shares the front with Max Alvis, Ed Kranepool and Twins outfielder Tony Oliva, whose panel carries his legal name, Pedro Oliva. Behind it lies a September call-up in which the bonus baby went 0-for-4 on debut and batted .167 in 14 games, after a Columbus season that made him International League Rookie of the Year. Bob Bailey was the bonus baby the Pirates signed out of a Long Beach high school in 1961, a third baseman who lasted 17 seasons with five clubs, finally found his power in Montreal, and rode the 1976 Reds to a title.
The set's key rookie card, 1963 Topps #228, is a third-series Rookie Stars issue that packs four prospects from four clubs onto one front: Max Alvis of the Indians, Bob Bailey of the Pirates, Kranepool of the Mets and the Twins' Pedro Oliva, the name form Topps printed for the man collectors have always called Tony. It is not an error. Kranepool reaches this card with three big league games behind him, all of them in September 1962, and a single hit in six at-bats - a double. It is his only appearance in the set. Ed Kranepool was the Mets' durable first baseman and the last man standing from the original 1962 roster, a steady bat who homered in the 1969 World Series and later set the major league single-season pinch-hit average record as 'Steady Eddie.'
Card #228 is the real Oliva rookie card, a third-series Rookie Stars issue he shares with Max Alvis, Bob Bailey and Ed Kranepool. The front reads "Pedro Oliva" - the name off his brother's papers, and his legal name for decades - so collectors still meet him here under the wrong first name. It followed a September 1962 debut in which the 24-year-old hit .444 in nine games, after batting .350 with 17 home runs at Class A Charlotte. Minnesota's smooth-swinging Cuban right fielder, the 1964 American League Rookie of the Year and a three-time batting champion who made the All-Star team in each of his first eight full seasons before knee injuries took over; Cooperstown called in December 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia (Max Alvis) · Wikipedia (Bob Bailey) · Wikipedia (Ed Kranepool) · SABR BioProject (Max Alvis) · SABR BioProject (Bob Bailey) · SABR BioProject (Ed Kranepool) · National Baseball Hall of Fame
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,498 | 0 | 6 | 146 | 326 | 322 | 248 | 432 | 18 |
| SGC | 765 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 54 | 97 | 195 | 379 | 29 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here.
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Related cards
Team cards: #451 Cleveland Indians, #151 Pittsburgh Pirates, #473 New York Mets, #162 Minnesota Twins
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #14 Pedro Ramos
- #36 Jerry Kindall
- #48 Birdie Tebbetts
- #72 Johnny Romano
- #103 Chuck Essegian
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
More New York Mets cards:
- #27 Choo Choo Coleman
- #43 Veteran Masters
- #59 Craig Anderson
- #68 Friendly Foes
- #78 Marv Throneberry
- #93 Galen Cisco
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #10 1962 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #26 Ray Moore
- #40 Vic Power
- #75 Bob Allison
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #228 card?
It is card #228 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Max Alvis, Bob Bailey, Ed Kranepool and Pedro Oliva. The twenty Rookie Stars cards, four players each and all titled "1963 Rookie Stars", carry the rookie class - Pete Rose on #537, Willie Stargell on #553, Tony Oliva and Ed Kranepool on #228, Rusty Staub on #544, Bill Freehan on #466 and Dave McNally on #562. Three of them (#169, #208, #544) are rookie cards for only some of the men pictured.
Is 1963 Topps #228 a rookie card?
Yes - #228 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Max Alvis, Bob Bailey, Ed Kranepool and Pedro Oliva.
Who is the "Pedro Oliva" on #228?
Tony Oliva. The front prints his legal name, Pedro Oliva - a name form, not an error - and #228 is his rookie card, shared with Ed Kranepool, Max Alvis and Bob Bailey. Oliva was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2022.
What are the key cards in the 1963 Topps set?
The #537 Rookie Stars card, Pete Rose's rookie card, leads the set. Beside it at the top sit #200 Mickey Mantle and #540 Bob Clemente, then #300 Willie Mays, #390 Hank Aaron, #210 Sandy Koufax, #340 Yogi Berra, #472 Lou Brock, #500 Harmon Killebrew (one of the four short prints) and the Rookie Stars cards with Willie Stargell (#553) and Tony Oliva (#228). The scarce sixth and seventh series (#447-576) hold the short prints and the hardest cards to find.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-03.