1976 Topps #639 Fred Kendall
About Fred Kendall
Kendall caught 85 games in 1975, hitting .199 with no home runs and 24 RBI. Padres owner Ray Kroc hinted at the end of 1975 spring training that the club wanted a stronger catcher, and Kendall, who had injured his throwing arm in the Arizona Instructional League in 1968, kept hearing doubts about that arm. On card #639 he appears with the Padres.
Fred Kendall was a right-handed catcher who played 877 games over 12 seasons, from 1969 to 1980, for the Padres, Indians and Red Sox. A Torrance, California, native, he was drafted by Cincinnati in 1967, then taken by the new San Diego club in the October 1968 expansion draft after Sparky Anderson, hired onto the Padres staff, recommended him. He debuted September 8, 1969, and became the regular catcher in 1973, hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI and earning team MVP honors. In 1976 he led the National League in games caught. Traded to Cleveland in December 1976 for George Hendrick, he moved to Boston in 1978 and finished back in San Diego. He retired with a .234 average, 31 home runs and 244 RBI, later coached in the majors for the Tigers, Rockies and Royals, and is the father of three-time All-Star catcher Jason Kendall.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 163 | 25 | 93 | 40 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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: #331 San Diego Padres Team
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- #184 Bill Greif
- #199 1975 NL Victory Leaders
- #201 1975 NL ERA Leaders
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1976 Topps #639 card?
It is card #639 of the 660-card 1976 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Kendall of the San Diego Padres.
How many cards are in the 1976 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and printed in equal quantities as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
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.