1977 Topps #538 Frank Taveras
About Frank Taveras
Taveras stole his 64th base of 1977 on September 17 in Montreal, breaking Max Carey's Pirates record of 63 from 1916, and he was caught only 18 times all year. On August 5 at Cincinnati he hit his first major-league home run, an inside-the-park grand slam off Doug Capilla, after Joe Hoerner plunked him in the opener of a doubleheader and set off a bench-clearing brawl. Card #538 is his 1977 Topps card.
Frank Taveras was a speedy shortstop from Las Matas de Santa Cruz in the Dominican Republic who played from 1971 to 1982 for the Pirates, Mets and Expos. Scout Howie Haak signed him in January 1968 for a $3,500 bonus while he was playing for the Dominican National Police team, and he later called Roberto Clemente his guide, mentor and counselor. He made the Pirates for good in 1974 and held the shortstop job through 1978, led the majors in stolen bases in 1977, and finished with 300 steals, 1,029 hits and two home runs. His glove was erratic, averaging 32 errors a year from 1975 to 1978, and Pittsburgh fans often booed him. He appeared in the 1974 and 1975 NLCS, his only postseason, and was traded to the Mets in 1979. In the Dominican League he spent ten seasons with Aguilas Cibaenas. He was nicknamed the Pittsburgh Stealer.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 100 | 13 | 54 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #538 card?
It is card #538 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Frank Taveras of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.