1964 Topps #199 Joe Azcue
About Joe Azcue
1964 Topps #199, part of print series three, shows Azcue with the Cleveland Indians, where the first-string catching job was still being argued over. A Plain Dealer poll that February asked who should have it, and Azcue outpolled John Romano, 2,180 votes to 1,827. He caught 83 games and his average slipped to .273 after the .284 of 1963. Off the field he started high school over again: he had never finished his senior year in Cienfuegos and could not return to Cuba to document the work, so he took correspondence courses toward a U.S. diploma, hoping to study electrical engineering.
Jose Joaquin Azcue Lopez, a catcher from Cienfuegos, Cuba, signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1956 and worked his way up through Class D, B and A ball while starring in Cuban League winter ball for the Cienfuegos Elefantes, helping them win back-to-back pennants and a Caribbean Series title. He reached the majors with Cincinnati in August 1960 but hit just .097 in 14 games, and that December the Milwaukee Braves purchased his contract. A year later Milwaukee traded him to the Kansas City Athletics, and in May 1963 Kansas City dealt him to the Cleveland Indians, where he spent parts of seven seasons and became the club's regular catcher. A right-handed hitter and thrower known for a strong arm - in 1966 he threw out 62 percent of attempted base stealers, one of the best single-season rates in major league history - Azcue earned his only All-Star selection in 1968 and led American League catchers in fielding percentage in both 1967 and 1968. Traded to Boston in April 1969, he also played for the California Angels and Milwaukee Brewers before retiring in 1972 with a .252 average over eleven seasons. He later managed in the minors and worked for decades in the auto industry.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 219 | 2 | 25 | 111 | 57 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #172 Cleveland Indians
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- #105 Woody Held
- #122 Don McMahon
- #133 Jim Grant
- #146 Indians 1964 Rookie Stars
- #184 Al Luplow
- #216 Mike de la Hoz
- #234 Gary Bell
- #253 Wally Post
- #301 Larry Brown
- #317 Al Smith
- #338 Jack Kralick
- #367 Fred Whitfield
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #199 card?
It is card #199 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Azcue of the Cleveland Indians.
How many cards are in the 1964 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 589 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 587 with no gaps, and no number carries two different cards; two cards - #4, the A.L. Pitching Leaders, and #517, the seventh-series checklist - carry a catalogued back variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.