1971 Topps #188 Dodgers Rookie Stars - Bob Valentine / Mike Strahler
On this card: Bob Valentine, Mike Strahler
About this card
This is one of the 44 Rookie Stars cards in the 1971 Topps set, each carrying two or three players under a club, league or position title. All 44 count as rookie cards.
The story on this card
Valentine made the Dodgers out of spring training despite knee surgery in January. He got his first major league hit on April 25 against Cincinnati, an RBI single off Milt Wilcox that scored Steve Garvey, and finished at .249 in 101 games. Card #188 is a Rookie Stars card shared with Mike Strahler, a rookie card for both, from the second series. Bobby Valentine played utility roles for five clubs from 1969 to 1979, then managed the Rangers, the Mets, the Chiba Lotte Marines and the 2012 Red Sox. His 2000 Mets reached the World Series.
Strahler pitched in six games for the Dodgers in 1971, 12 2/3 innings in all, and posted a 2.84 ERA. His first card, #188, is a second-series Rookie Stars issue shared with Bob Valentine, with both men printed as Dodgers; it is the rookie card for each of them. Tall right-handed pitcher from Chicago who worked for the Dodgers from 1970 to 1972 and the Tigers in 1973. He started 13 of his 53 games, finished 6-8 with a 3.57 ERA, and was traded to Milwaukee for Ray Newman in December 1973.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 442 | 0 | 5 | 143 | 173 | 70 | 23 | 26 | 2 |
| SGC | 49 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
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: #402 Los Angeles Dodgers
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #10 Claude Osteen
- #34 Sandy Vance
- #57 Von Joshua
- #85 Billy Grabarkewitz
- #112 Manny Mota
- #145 Bill Singer
- #207 Alan Foster
- #226 Bill Russell
- #253 Bill Sudakis
- #288 Joe Moeller
- #314 Jeff Torborg
- #341 Steve Garvey
- #361 Don Sutton
- #385 Maury Wills
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #188 card?
It is card #188 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Valentine and Mike Strahler. This is one of the 44 Rookie Stars cards in the 1971 Topps set, each carrying two or three players under a club, league or position title. All 44 count as rookie cards.
Is 1971 Topps #188 a rookie card?
Yes - #188 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Bob Valentine and Mike Strahler.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), 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.