1972 Topps #716 Jesus Alou


About Jesus Alou
Alou was a reserve outfielder and pinch hitter in 1972, batting .312 with 29 hits in 93 at-bats. He drove in 11 runs and played 23 games in the outfield. Cesar Cedeno hit .320 with 22 home runs and 55 stolen bases for Houston that summer, and Alou was no longer a regular. Topps #716, in the sixth series, prints Alou with Houston.
Jesus Alou was a Dominican outfielder who played 15 major league seasons, the youngest of three baseball-playing brothers alongside Felipe and Matty Alou. Signed by the San Francisco Giants as a teenager out of Bajos de Haina, he worked his way up through the minors with strong batting averages and reached the majors in September 1963, joining a Giants outfield that briefly included all three brothers at once. He was a free swinger who struck out only 267 times in 4,345 career at-bats, a knack he credited to a childhood backyard game with his brothers in which a batter kept hitting as long as he did not strike out. After six years in San Francisco he moved on to the Houston Astros, then the Oakland Athletics, where he was a bench player on two World Series champions, before finishing his career with the New York Mets and a return to Houston. He survived a frightening on-field collision in 1969 that left him briefly unconscious. After retiring he spent decades working in scouting and player development for the Expos, Marlins and Red Sox.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 194 | 6 | 32 | 102 | 39 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 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: #282 Houston Astros
More Houston Astros cards:
- #20 Don Wilson
- #56 Rich Chiles
- #65 Cesar Cedeno
- #91 1971 N.L. E.R.A. Leaders
- #101 Astros 1972 Rookie Stars
- #132 Joe Morgan
- #155 Larry Dierker
- #202 Scipio Spinks
- #204 Tommy Helms
- #217 Roger Metzger
- #249 Harry Walker
- #339 Ron Cook
- #355 Bob Watson
- #360 Dave Roberts
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #716 card?
It is card #716 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jesus Alou of the Houston Astros.
Why is #716 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #657-787 - with the fifth series, the toughest to find, per PSA.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
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.