1970 Topps #514 Steve Hovley
About Steve Hovley
The Pilots had become the Brewers, yet Hovley's #514, from the fifth series, still lists him with Seattle, and it is his rookie card. In Milwaukee's first home game, April 7, he had three hits in three at-bats off Andy Messersmith in a 12-0 loss. He hit .281 in 40 games before the June 11 trade to Oakland for Al Downing and Tito Francona.
Steve Hovley was a left-handed-hitting outfielder who played in the majors from 1969 to 1973 for the Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals. Born in Ventura, California, he attended Stanford, was drafted by the California Angels in the 35th round in 1966, and went to the Pilots in the 1968 expansion draft. He hit .277 with 3 home runs in 91 games as a 1969 Pilots rookie and roomed with pitcher Jim Bouton, whose diary of that season, Ball Four, became a national sensation a year later. Other players called him Orbie, short for Orbit, because his behavior seemed so spacey, and Hovley said he liked the name. After Oakland, the Royals took him in the 1971 Rule 5 draft and he spent two seasons as their fourth outfielder. He finished with 263 hits and a .258 average in 436 games.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 166 | 7 | 40 | 92 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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: #713 Seattle Pilots
More Seattle Pilots cards:
- #2 Diego Segui
- #31 Marty Pattin
- #53 John Kennedy
- #88 Pilots 1970 Rookie Stars
- #111 Mike Hegan
- #134 Danny Walton
- #158 Jerry McNertney
- #185 Don Mincher
- #224 Steve Barber
- #249 Bob Locker
- #271 Greg Goossen
- #289 Gene Brabender
- #323 Wayne Comer
- #359 Phil Roof
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #514 card?
It is card #514 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Hovley of the Seattle Pilots.
Is 1970 Topps #514 a rookie card?
Yes - #514 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Steve Hovley.
Why does this card say Seattle Pilots?
Because the card prints the Seattle Pilots, and it is correct as printed: the franchise played the 1970 season as the Milwaukee Brewers, but thirty 1970 Topps cards print the Pilots - the #713 team card, #556 Dave Bristol's manager card, the #88 Pilots Rookie Stars and twenty-seven player cards. 1970 Topps is the second and last Topps flagship set with Seattle Pilots cards.
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.