1971 Topps #626 Freddie Patek
About Freddie Patek
Kansas City acquired Patek, Bruce Dal Canton and Jerry May on December 2, 1970, sending Jackie Hernandez, Bob Johnson and Jim Campanis to Pittsburgh. Patek batted .267 with 49 steals and an American League-leading 11 triples in 1971. He hit for the cycle on July 9 and finished sixth in MVP voting. His Royals card, #626, came from Topps' fifth series.
Freddie Patek played shortstop for the Pirates, Royals and Angels over 14 major-league seasons. Listed at 5 feet 5 inches, he played baseball in the Air Force before Pittsburgh drafted him in the 22nd round in 1965. His father's illness brought a hardship discharge, and the Pirates let him attend to family business before beginning his professional career the following spring. Pittsburgh announcer Bob Prince called him the Cricket, a nickname fans echoed with metal noisemakers when he batted. Patek finished with 1,340 hits, 385 stolen bases and a .242 average. With California on June 20, 1980, he hit 3 home runs against Boston at Fenway Park. After retiring, he worked on Texas Rangers television broadcasts in 1985.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 265 | 0 | 9 | 135 | 85 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 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: #742 Kansas City Royals
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #17 Billy Sorrell
- #35 Lou Piniella
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #91 Bob Lemon
- #103 Rich Severson
- #118 Cookie Rojas
- #129 Aurelio Monteagudo
- #144 Jackie Hernandez
- #163 Buck Martinez
- #187 Ted Abernathy
- #221 Dave Morehead
- #247 Royals 1971 Rookie Stars
- #269 Gail Hopkins
- #299 Ed Kirkpatrick
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #626 card?
It is card #626 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Freddie Patek of the Kansas City Royals.
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.