1969 Topps #58 Fred Gladding
About Fred Gladding
Fred Gladding's 1969 Topps card, #58, depicts him with the Houston Astros in a bounce-back season from his 1968 elbow trouble. He appeared in 57 games and went 4-8 with a 4.21 ERA while leading the National League with 29 saves, a career high in the first season saves were officially recognized as a statistic. His ERA fell from the injury-shortened 14.54 mark of 1968 back down to that 4.21 figure, a sign the elbow trouble was behind him.
Fred Gladding was a right-handed relief pitcher who spent thirteen major league seasons, 1961 to 1973, with the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros. Born in Flat Rock, Michigan, he signed with the Tigers in 1956 and spent six seasons working through their minor league system before debuting in 1961. Teammates nicknamed him "The Bear" during his minor league days in Birmingham, after catcher Ron Witucki noticed how he stomped around the mound when angry, and Detroit catcher Bill Freehan later called him "Little Monster." A sinkerball pitcher who ran the ball in on right-handed hitters, Gladding became a dependable Tigers reliever through the 1960s before an August 1967 trade sent him to Houston in exchange for Eddie Mathews. With the Astros he led the National League in saves in 1969, the first year saves were officially counted. He finished his career with a 48-34 record, a 3.13 ERA, and 109 saves in 450 games. He also holds the lowest non-zero career batting average in major league history, .016.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 399 | 8 | 134 | 196 | 40 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
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- #119 Doug Rader
- #156 Astros 1969 Rookie Stars
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- #202 Don Wilson
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- #257 Jim Ray
- #278 Gary Geiger
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #58 card?
It is card #58 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Gladding of the Houston Astros.
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.