1977 Topps #478 Rookie Pitchers - Jim Gideon / Leon Hooten / Dave Johnson / Mark Lemongello
On this card: Jim Gideon, Leon Hooten, Dave Johnson, Mark Lemongello
About this card
Cards #472-479 and #487-494 are the sixteen four-player Rookie Prospects cards. A Rookie Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #472, #473, #474, #475, #487, #489, #491 and #493 at least one of the four had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
The story on this card
Gideon's rookie card, 1977 Topps #478 in the Rookie Prospects subset, paired the Minnesota pitcher with Toronto's Leon Hooten, Seattle's Dave Johnson and Houston's Mark Lemongello. The Rangers had traded Gideon, Roy Smalley, Mike Cubbage and Bill Singer to the Twins for Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson on June 1, 1976. Jim Gideon was a right-handed pitcher who helped Texas win the 1975 college national championship. The Rangers drafted him in the first round that year, and he made one major-league start.
Toronto selected Hooten in the November 1976 expansion draft after he finished 2-8 with a 5.60 ERA that season. His rookie card, 1977 Topps #478, placed him with the Blue Jays beside Minnesota's Jim Gideon, Seattle's Dave Johnson and Houston's Mark Lemongello in the Rookie Prospects subset. Toronto released Hooten in March 1977. Leon Hooten struck out 124 batters in 109 innings for Arizona in 1969. The future Oakland right-hander also homered and earned the victory against Arizona State in May 1970.
Seattle purchased Johnson from Baltimore on October 1, 1976, then sold him to Minnesota on May 2, 1977. His rookie card, 1977 Topps #478, retained the Mariners name alongside Jim Gideon of Minnesota, Leon Hooten of Toronto and Mark Lemongello of Houston. Dave Johnson pitched for Baltimore and Minnesota in the 1970s. A right-hander from Abilene, Texas, he worked mostly in relief and made 7 starts among 53 major league appearances.
Lemongello lost 11 of his first 12 decisions in 1977, two more losses than any other major league pitcher through June 25. He then went 7-3 after the All-Star break to finish 9-14. On September 5 he beat Tom Seaver and the Reds on a six-hitter, allowing only Seaver's home run. His #478 card is the four-player Rookie Prospects card, the rookie card of all four men: Jim Gideon of the Twins, Leon Hooten of the Blue Jays, Dave Johnson of the Mariners and Lemongello of the Astros. Right-handed starter who pitched for the Astros and Blue Jays from 1976 to 1979, going 22-38 with a 4.06 ERA. A sinker-slider pitcher known for his temper, he won his 1976 debut and pitched his last game in July 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia (Jim Gideon) · Wikipedia (Dave Johnson (1970s pitcher)) · Wikipedia (Mark Lemongello) · SABR BioProject (Leon Hooten) · SABR BioProject (Mark Lemongello) · Baseball Almanac · Baseball Almanac (Dave Johnson) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 216 | 22 | 120 | 56 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 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 cards: #228 Minnesota Twins Team, #113 Toronto Blue Jays Team, #597 Seattle Mariners Team, #327 Houston Astros Team
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #8 1976 Leading Firemen
- #13 Luis Gomez
- #38 Craig Kusick
- #66 Roy Smalley
- #87 Glenn Borgmann
- #120 Rod Carew
More Toronto Blue Jays cards:
More Seattle Mariners cards:
More Houston Astros cards:
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #478 card?
It is card #478 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Gideon, Leon Hooten, Dave Johnson and Mark Lemongello. Cards #472-479 and #487-494 are the sixteen four-player Rookie Prospects cards. A Rookie Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #472, #473, #474, #475, #487, #489, #491 and #493 at least one of the four had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
Is 1977 Topps #478 a rookie card?
Yes - #478 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Jim Gideon, Leon Hooten, Dave Johnson and Mark Lemongello.
How many cards are in the 1977 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and distributed 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.