1974 Topps #39 Ken Suarez
About Ken Suarez
Ken Suarez caught 90 of his 93 games for the 1973 Rangers, platooning with Dick Billings. He hit .248 in 278 at-bats. On June 16 he broke up Jim Palmer's perfect game with a one-out single in the ninth inning of a 9-1 loss at Baltimore. His Rangers card is 1974 Topps #39.
Ken Suarez was a right-handed-hitting catcher from Tampa, Florida, who starred at Florida State, batting .404 as a junior and earning first-team All-America honors before representing the United States at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He signed with the Kansas City Athletics and reached the majors in 1966. Suarez split his seven big league seasons among the Athletics, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers and was known for his defense behind the plate. He was part of the Rangers' inaugural 1972 roster under manager Ted Williams. A pay dispute led him to become the first Ranger to file for arbitration, and Texas traded him back to Cleveland for Leo Cardenas on February 12, 1974. He chose to retire rather than report. He later worked in Texas as a Rangers scout and in the aviation industry.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 142 | 1 | 47 | 75 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1974 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #184 Texas Rangers
More Texas Rangers cards:
- #11 Jim Bibby
- #63 Bill Sudakis
- #87 Fergie Jenkins
- #89 Jackie Brown
- #107 Alex Johnson
- #133 David Clyde
- #196 Jim Fregosi
- #223 Jeff Burroughs
- #242 Bill Gogolewski
- #268 Tom Grieve
- #294 Steve Foucault
- #318 Jim Merritt
- #355 Dave Nelson
- #379 Rangers Field Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #39 card?
It is card #39 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Suarez of the Texas Rangers.
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.