1969 Topps #280 Alex Johnson
About Alex Johnson
1969 Topps #280, from the third series, pictures Johnson with the Cincinnati Reds. He broke out with real power that season, hitting a career-high 17 home runs while driving in a career-high 88 runs and scoring 86, finishing sixth in the National League with a .315 batting average. That November the Reds traded him to the California Angels along with Chico Ruiz and Mel Queen.
Alex Johnson was a powerfully built outfielder from Detroit who signed with the Phillies out of the sandlots and broke into the majors in 1964. A right-handed hitter with rare bat speed, he moved through the Phillies, Cardinals, Reds, Angels, Indians, Rangers, Yankees and Tigers over a thirteen-year career built almost entirely on hitting for average. He earned the National League's Comeback Player of the Year award with Cincinnati in 1968, then broke out for a career-high 17 home runs the following season, before reaching his peak in 1970 with California, edging Carl Yastrzemski for the American League batting title on the final day of the season and earning an All-Star selection. His indifferent baserunning and outfield play drew constant friction with managers, and a 1971 suspension in California became a landmark early grievance case for the players' union. He finished his career with a .288 average over 1,322 games. After retiring he returned to Detroit and ran the family trucking business.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 233 | 0 | 32 | 127 | 52 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #2 National League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #26 Clay Carroll
- #70 Tommy Helms
- #81 Mel Queen
- #95 Johnny Bench
- #120 Pete Rose
- #142 Woody Woodward
- #187 Leon Wagner
- #213 Gerry Arrigo
- #234 Dave Bristol
- #259 Bill Short
- #295 Tony Perez
- #318 Jack Fisher
- #339 Reds 1969 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #280 card?
It is card #280 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Alex Johnson of the Cincinnati Reds.
How many cards are in the 1969 Topps Baseball set?
664 cards, tracked as 696 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 664 with none skipped and no printed number shared by two cards; 32 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately, 23 of them the yellow- and white-letter name pairs of #440-511.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, 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 2026-10-12.