1970 Topps #227 Astros Rookie Stars - John Mayberry / Bob Watkins
On this card: John Mayberry, Bob Watkins
About this card
This is one of the forty Rookie Stars cards, each showing two or three rookies from one club; #654 (National League) and #702 (American League) each mix three clubs. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #36, #74, #109, #154, #267, #317, #429, #573, #669 and #683 one of them had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
The story on this card
Mayberry and Bob Watkins share card #227, a second-series Rookie Stars issue picturing both with the Houston Astros and serving as the first card for each. Mayberry had played four games in 1968 and five in 1969 without a hit, and hit .303 with 21 home runs for Oklahoma City in 1969. His first hit came in April 1970, a single to right field off Frank Reberger in a 7-4 loss to the Giants. John Mayberry, a left-handed first baseman, played 1,620 games between 1968 and 1982 for the Astros, Royals, Blue Jays and Yankees, finishing with 1,379 hits and 879 RBIs.
Watkins's 1970 Topps card is #227, from the second series. Topps listed it as Astros Rookies, and he shares the card with John Mayberry, who is named first. Both players are printed with Houston, and it is the rookie card for each of them. Right-handed reliever from San Francisco, drafted by Houston in 1966. He pitched five games for the 1969 Astros in September, with a 5.17 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings.
Sources: Wikipedia (John Mayberry) · Wikipedia (Bob Watkins) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 240 | 3 | 24 | 130 | 52 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #227 card?
It is card #227 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Mayberry and Bob Watkins. This is one of the forty Rookie Stars cards, each showing two or three rookies from one club; #654 (National League) and #702 (American League) each mix three clubs. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #36, #74, #109, #154, #267, #317, #429, #573, #669 and #683 one of them had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
Is 1970 Topps #227 a rookie card?
Yes - #227 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: John Mayberry and Bob Watkins.
How many cards are in the 1970 Topps Baseball set?
720 cards, tracked as 726 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 720 with none skipped, issued in seven series - #1-132, #133-263, #264-372, #373-459, #460-546, #547-633 and the high numbers, #634-720; 6 cards, all of them checklists, carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.