1968 Topps #578 Orlando Martinez
About Orlando Martinez
Martinez became Atlanta's primary infield reserve in 1968, setting a career-high 395 plate appearances while playing mostly shortstop, third and second base; he also caught 14 games as the Braves' emergency backup receiver. He hit .230 over 113 games, his busiest big-league season. Card #578 is a high number from Topps' seventh series, issued the winter before Atlanta traded him to Houston for Bob Aspromonte.
Orlando Martinez, a Cuban-born switch-hitter known to teammates as Marty, spent seven big-league seasons as a versatile utility man who never hit a home run but could play nearly every position on the field. Signed by scout Joe Cambria for the Washington Senators organization in 1960, he reached the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 1962. After returning to the minors, he switched to hitting both ways in 1966 on a manager's suggestion, hit .313 at Triple-A Denver, and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves that winter. He filled utility and backup-catching roles for Atlanta, then moved to the Houston Astros, where his .308 average in 1969 was a career best. He closed his playing days in 1972 with brief stops in St. Louis, Oakland and Texas. Martinez later managed in the minors, coached for the Seattle Mariners, served as the club's interim manager for one game in 1986, and became a respected scout credited with signing Edgar Martinez and Omar Vizquel.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 378 | 16 | 111 | 182 | 44 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 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: #221 Atlanta Braves
More Atlanta Braves cards:
- #3 National League 1967 RBI Leaders
- #5 National League 1967 Home Run Leaders
- #7 National League 1967 ERA Leaders
- #30 Joe Torre
- #55 Felipe Alou
- #76 Braves 1968 Rookie Stars
- #93 Tony Cloninger
- #110 Hank Aaron
- #134 Pat Jarvis
- #166 Claude Raymond
- #174 Bob Tillman
- #187 Sonny Jackson
- #203 Dick Kelley
- #241 Felix Millan
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #578 card?
It is card #578 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Orlando Martinez of the Atlanta Braves.
Is 1968 Topps #578 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.