1963 Topps #561 Mike de la Hoz
About Mike de la Hoz
His lone 1963 card, #561, sits among the series-7 high numbers, and it reports a nearly lost 1962. Manager Mel McGaha, who had no confidence in him going back to their time together at Toronto, used him in just 12 games; he managed one hit in 12 at-bats before Cleveland optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville in June. Jacksonville finished first in the International League, then lost game seven of the playoff finals to the Atlanta Crackers.
Miguel "Mike" de la Hoz was a Cuban-born utility infielder who played parts of nine major league seasons between 1960 and 1969 for the Cleveland Indians, the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds. Born on October 2, 1938, he signed with the Almendares club of the Cuban winter league on September 29, 1957 for a $10,000 bonus. He left Cuba for good in March 1961, flying out through Mexico City without a suitcase and with five dollars in his pocket; his parents followed afterward on tourist visas he had arranged. He debuted on July 22, 1960 at Fenway Park, starting at shortstop and singling off Boston's Ike Delock, and spent the rest of his career as a reserve at second base, third base and shortstop, batting a career-high .291 in 1964. He finished with a .251 average, 25 home runs and 115 RBI in 494 games, and was a fixture in the winter leagues of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Known as Miguelito, he later scouted for the Detroit Tigers, ran a Miami baseball academy with Orlando Pena, and was inducted into the Cuban Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He died in Miami on May 28, 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 204 | 0 | 5 | 99 | 69 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
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 card: #451 Cleveland Indians
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
- #129 Gary Bell
- #152 Ron Nischwitz
- #170 Joe Adcock
- #187 Willie Kirkland
- #211 Fred Whitfield
- #227 Jim Grant
- #228 1963 Rookie Stars
- #248 Tito Francona
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #561 card?
It is card #561 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike de la Hoz of the Cleveland Indians.
Why is #561 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #512-576 - the last and scarcest run in the set. Price guides often band the highs as #523-576, but the printing break falls between #511 and #512.
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.