1975 Topps #221 Aurelio Rodriguez
About Aurelio Rodriguez
A native of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, Rodríguez broke into pro ball in the Mexican League in 1965, was voted the league's Rookie of the Year in 1966, and signed with the California Angels that August. He debuted in the majors at 19 in September 1967 and spent 17 seasons at third base for the Angels, Senators, Tigers, Padres, Yankees, White Sox and Orioles, anchoring Detroit's infield from 1971 to 1979. Teammates called him "Chi Chi," after golfer Chi-Chi Rodríguez, and he became one of the game's premier defensive third basemen: his career range factor of 3.215 per nine innings ranks second all-time at the position, and in 1976 he broke Brooks Robinson's 16-year stranglehold on the Gold Glove. His arm was legendary; Sparky Anderson called it one of the best he ever saw at third base. Card #221 in the 1975 Topps set catches him mid-career with Detroit, the year he hit his first career grand slam. Rodríguez later managed in the Mexican League, winning the 1991 pennant with Monterrey, and was inducted into the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995. He was killed by a motorist in Detroit in 2000.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 267 | 5 | 59 | 158 | 25 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #221 card?
It is card #221 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Aurelio Rodriguez.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-10-05.