1968 Topps #538 Manny Jimenez
About Manny Jimenez
Jimenez spent all of 1968 in Pittsburgh but almost never in the field: 61 of his 66 appearances came as a pinch-hitter and he started just five games in left. He came to the plate only 77 times and made them count, batting .303 with a .403 on-base percentage on 20 hits, six walks, and five times hit by a pitch, the best rate season of his career. The Pirates dropped him from their 40-man roster that fall and traded him to the Chicago Cubs in January for Chuck Hartenstein and Ron Campbell. His 1968 Topps card, number 538, is a high number from the seventh series and the last of his cards to show him with the Pirates.
Manny Jimenez, born Manuel Emilio Jimenez Rivera on November 19, 1936, in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, was an outfielder who threw right-handed but hit left-handed after the Milwaukee Braves converted him, and who built a reputation as one of his era's best pure hitters: he won the Northern League batting title at .340 for Eau Claire in 1958 and hit .325 for Vancouver in the Pacific Coast League in 1961. Traded to the Kansas City Athletics that December, he reached the majors in 1962 and played for the Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs across parts of seven seasons through 1969, finishing at .272 with 26 home runs and 144 RBIs in 429 games. Nicknamed "El Mulo" (The Mule) for his strength and the way he kicked up his front leg at the plate, a name that also nodded at his stubborn streak, he became the first Dominican to homer three times in a big-league game. Clashes with managers and front offices over money, playing time, and discipline shadowed a career that never matched his raw hitting talent. His brother Elvio also reached the majors, appearing in one game for the 1964 Yankees. Jimenez entered the Dominican Republic's Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and died in New York on December 11, 2017, at 81.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 324 | 11 | 102 | 165 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 21 | 0 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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: #308 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #1 National League 1967 Batting Leaders
- #3 National League 1967 RBI Leaders
- #19 Juan Pizarro
- #36 Pirates 1968 Rookie Stars
- #53 Gene Alley
- #70 Bob Veale
- #86 Willie Stargell
- #150 Bob Clemente
- #175 Maury Wills
- #198 Roy Face
- #215 Jim Bunning
- #251 Manny Sanguillen
- #270 Matty Alou
- #288 Dave Wickersham
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #538 card?
It is card #538 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Manny Jimenez of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is 1968 Topps #538 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.