1970 Topps #18 Carlos May
About Carlos May
May spent the months after the August 11, 1969 mortar accident at Camp Pendleton in medical care and therapy, and he did not leave the hospital for good until January 1970. Wilson Sporting Goods made him a special batting glove for his right hand, and he choked up on the bat to ease the pressure on it. The Sporting News had named him its 1969 American League Rookie of the Year. His #18 card, from the first series, shows him with the White Sox.
Carlos May spent ten major league seasons, 1968-1977, almost entirely with the Chicago White Sox before finishing with the New York Yankees and California Angels. A first-round pick out of Birmingham, Alabama's A. H. Parker High School, the left-handed-hitting outfielder and first baseman broke in with Chicago in September 1968 and was the starting left fielder in 1969, making the American League All-Star team twice. A military accident in August 1969, when a mortar he was cleaning discharged and partially amputated his right thumb, threatened to end his career, but he returned to play through 1977, adapting his swing and grip. Traded to the Yankees in 1976, he reached the World Series that year. He finished with a .274 average, 90 home runs and 536 RBIs, then played four more seasons in Japan for the Nankai Hawks. He later worked for the U.S. Postal Service and as a community relations representative for the White Sox.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 142 | 4 | 25 | 72 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #501 Chicago White Sox
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- #123 Don Gutteridge
- #146 Danny Murphy
- #180 Tommy John
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- #239 Ken Berry
- #263 Duane Josephson
- #274 Gerry Arrigo
- #299 Buddy Bradford
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #18 card?
It is card #18 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Carlos May of the Chicago White Sox.
Why does #18 Carlos May have no All-Star Rookie trophy?
Carlos May was named to the 1969 Topps All-Star Rookie team, but his #18 card was printed without the trophy. Nine other 1970 cards carry it, from #39 Mike Nagy to #645 Don Money.
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.