1972 Topps #317 Rich Hand
About Rich Hand
Cleveland traded Hand to Texas on December 2, 1971, in a package with Roy Foster, Ken Suarez and Mike Paul. He started the year at Denver, replaced the injured Don Stanhouse in the rotation in early May, and went 10-14 with a 3.32 ERA, the most wins on the Rangers. Texas scored no runs for him in his first 23 1/3 innings. His #317 is in the third series, with the Rangers.
Rich Hand was a right-handed starter who pitched four seasons for Cleveland, Texas and California and went 24-39 with a 4.01 ERA in 104 games. A Seattle high school graduate, he pitched at the University of Puget Sound, earned All-America honors and finished 21-6 there. Cleveland made him the first pick of the 1969 secondary draft and signed him for $17,000. Manager Alvin Dark named him the third starter out of spring training in 1970, and he debuted on April 9, finishing 6-13 with a 3.83 ERA and 27 home runs allowed, ninth most in the American League. Arm trouble in 1971 turned a fastball pitcher into one who leaned on control and a changeup. He last pitched in the minors in 1974 and retired in 1975 with a sore arm. He stayed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in real estate and construction and served on the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association board.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 296 | 20 | 96 | 134 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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: #668 Texas Rangers
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #317 card?
It is card #317 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Hand of the Texas Rangers.
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.