1974 Topps #270 Ron Santo
About Ron Santo
Santo hit .267 with 20 home runs and 77 RBI for the 1973 Cubs, made the All-Star team and received the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. He vetoed a trade to the Angels on December 8, 1973, then went to the White Sox on December 11. Cards #270 and #334 both print him with the Cubs; #334 is the All-Stars third-base card with Brooks Robinson.
Ron Santo played third base for the Chicago Cubs from 1960 through 1973 and finished with the crosstown White Sox in 1974. Born in Seattle in 1940, he signed with the Cubs as a free agent in 1959 for a $20,000 bonus and reached the majors a year and three months later. His career brought nine All-Star selections, five straight Gold Gloves from 1964 through 1968, and a bat that produced a .300 average and 30 home runs four times each. From 1963 through 1970 he drove in at least 90 runs eight years running, still the only third baseman in major league history to do it. He led the league in walks four times and set National League career records for assists, total chances and double plays at the position. Santo played the whole time with type 1 diabetes, diagnosed at 18 and kept quiet until a day held in his honor at Wrigley Field in August 1971; the disease later cost him both legs. He called Cubs games on WGN radio from 1990 until his death in 2010 and helped raise tens of millions of dollars for diabetes research. The Golden Era Committee elected him to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2011; he was inducted in 2012.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 600 | 6 | 163 | 272 | 67 | 43 | 29 | 20 | 0 |
| SGC | 57 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 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
More Ron Santo in this set: #334 All-Stars
Team card: #211 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #14 Paul Popovich
- #38 Don Kessinger
- #62 Bob Locker
- #110 Billy Williams
- #136 Rick Reuschel
- #157 Vic Harris
- #161 Ray Burris
- #185 Jose Cardenal
- #258 Jerry Morales
- #295 Rick Monday
- #319 Randy Hundley
- #334 All-Star Third Basemen
- #338 All-Star Right Fielders
- #354 Cubs Field Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #270 card?
It is card #270 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs.
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.