1974 Topps #469 Joe Decker
About Joe Decker
Decker credited a seam-grip change, learned in the bullpen in 1973, for getting left-handed hitters out. A five-day Army Reserve stint in the middle of the 1973 spring training threw him off, he said, until June, and on August 24 of that season he blanked the Milwaukee Brewers on four hits. Card #469 shows him with the Twins. Catcher George Mitterwald said Decker had more stuff than any pitcher he had caught.
Joe Decker was a right-handed pitcher who worked for the Chicago Cubs from 1969 to 1972, the Minnesota Twins from 1973 to 1976 and the Seattle Mariners in 1979. A ninth-round pick out of Petaluma High School in California in 1965, he signed for a $50,000 bonus and reached the Cubs as a September call-up in 1969. Blocked from the Chicago rotation, he went to Minnesota in a trade for Dave LaRoche before 1973 and teamed with Bert Blyleven at the top of the Twins staff. His best year was 1974, when he went 16-14 with a 3.29 ERA and 248 2/3 innings. Control problems followed, and he finished 36-44 with a 4.17 ERA over nine seasons. He pitched in the minors into 1983, later played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association and coached in the Tigers' system. He died in Fraser, Michigan, in 2003.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 194 | 1 | 70 | 104 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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: #74 Minnesota Twins
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #26 Bill Campbell
- #50 Rod Carew
- #98 Bert Blyleven
- #122 Jim Holt
- #143 Dick Woodson
- #168 Danny Thompson
- #190 Tony Oliva
- #201 1973 Batting Leaders
- #232 Steve Brye
- #249 George Mitterwald
- #271 Bill Hands
- #296 Ray Corbin
- #321 Steve Braun
- #333 All-Star Second Basemen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #469 card?
It is card #469 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Decker of the Minnesota Twins.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.