1971 Topps #316 Fred Scherman
About Fred Scherman
By early June of 1971 Scherman had pitched in 26 of Detroit's first 50 games with a 1.92 ERA, and Billy Martin called him the Tigers' number one man in the difficult situations. He finished 11-6 with a 2.71 ERA, nearly a point under the league average, and ranked third in the American League in saves and games finished. His 1971 Topps card, #316 in the third series, is his rookie card and shows him with the Tigers.
Fred Scherman was a left-handed reliever from Dayton, Ohio, who pitched in the majors from 1969 to 1976 for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Montreal Expos, going 33-26 with a 3.66 ERA and 39 saves. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in December 1963, was drafted by Detroit in December 1964 on the recommendation of Lakeland manager Al Federoff, and spent four seasons in the Tigers' farm system before reaching Detroit. His best year came in 1971, when he set a Tigers record with 69 appearances and saved 20 games under Billy Martin. He relied on a sinking fastball and said location mattered more than velocity. John Hiller's record 38-save season in 1973 pushed him out of the closer's role. Detroit traded him to Houston for Gary Sutherland and Jim Ray that December. He finished his career with Montreal. After his release in July 1976 he pitched in the Pirates system in 1977 and in Japan's Hiroshima Carp organization in 1978.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 418 | 0 | 19 | 272 | 91 | 26 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
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: #336 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #3 Dick McAuliffe
- #39 Tigers 1971 Rookie Stars
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #86 Mike Kilkenny
- #101 Les Cain
- #120 Willie Horton
- #133 Mickey Lolich
- #154 Cesar Gutierrez
- #180 Al Kaline
- #208 Billy Martin
- #229 Jim Hannan
- #265 Jim Northrup
- #296 Tom Timmermann
- #367 Dalton Jones
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #316 card?
It is card #316 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Scherman of the Detroit Tigers.
Is 1971 Topps #316 a rookie card?
Yes - #316 is the 1971 Topps rookie card of Fred Scherman.
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.