1968 Topps #597 Bill McCool
About Bill McCool
By 1968 injuries had taken their toll, and McCool worked mostly in relief for a Reds staff crowded with young arms, finishing 3-4 with a 4.97 ERA over 30 games and just 50 2/3 innings. His card that year, number 597, is a high number from the seventh series.
Billy McCool broke into the majors as a hard-throwing 19-year-old lefty reliever for the Cincinnati Reds in 1964, striking out veteran hitters with a fastball teammates called sneaky-fast. That rookie season he was named The Sporting News National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year, going 6-5 with seven saves. He anchored the Reds bullpen for the next several seasons, finishing second in the league in saves in both 1965 and 1966 and earning an All-Star selection in 1966. A knee injury suffered late in 1966, followed by elbow and shoulder trouble, derailed his push to become a starter and shortened what had looked like a rising career. He pitched a final season each with the San Diego Padres in 1969 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970 before retiring at 25. Over seven seasons he went 32-42 with 58 saves and a 3.59 ERA. After baseball he worked as a Dayton television sports anchor and later wrote a pitching instruction book. He died in 2014.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 251 | 5 | 56 | 129 | 35 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
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Related cards
Team card: #574 Cincinnati Reds
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- #48 Ted Davidson
- #74 Milt Pappas
- #90 Vada Pinson
- #108 Don Pavletich
- #130 Tony Perez
- #133 Fred Whitfield
- #148 Dave Bristol
- #171 Don Nottebart
- #196 Gary Nolan
- #213 Chico Ruiz
- #230 Pete Rose
- #247 Reds 1968 Rookie Stars
- #264 Ted Abernathy
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #597 card?
It is card #597 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill McCool of the Cincinnati Reds.
Is 1968 Topps #597 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #534-598, by the checklist-card division. The last two series together (#458-598) carry only a modest premium; no short-print list exists.
How many cards are in the 1968 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 606 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 without a gap and no printed number carries two different cards; eight cards - six of the seven checklists, #10 AL Pitching Leaders and #400 Mike McCormick - carry a catalogued print variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Beckett, 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 2026-10-12.