1978 Topps #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders - Frank Taveras / Freddie Patek
On this card: Frank Taveras, Freddie Patek
About this card
Cards #201-208 are the League Leaders subset on the 1977 season - batting, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, victories, strikeouts, ERA and the leading firemen - each card naming the National League leader first and the American League leader second. #205 Victory Leaders names four pitchers: Steve Carlton for the National League and Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the American League.
The story on this card
Frank Taveras of the Pittsburgh Pirates led the National League with 70 steals, up from 58 the year before, while playing 146 games at shortstop. Freddie Patek of the Kansas City Royals led the American League with 53, part of a string of eight straight seasons with 30 or more steals that began in 1971. Kansas City won the AL West that year and lost the ALCS to the Yankees in five games. The two shortstops share #204, the stolen-base card in the 1978 Topps League Leaders subset.
Frank Taveras was the Pirates' shortstop from 1974 to 1978, a Dominican speedster who stole 70 bases in 1977. He later played for the Mets and Expos. Freddie Patek played shortstop for Pittsburgh, Kansas City and California. He made three All-Star teams with the Royals, stole 385 bases in his career and later worked on Rangers television broadcasts.
Sources: Wikipedia (Freddie Patek) · Wikipedia (Frank Taveras) · SABR BioProject (Freddie Patek) · SABR BioProject (Frank Taveras) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 192 | 33 | 95 | 47 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 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: #606 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, #724 Kansas City Royals Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #204 card?
It is card #204 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Frank Taveras and Freddie Patek. Cards #201-208 are the League Leaders subset on the 1977 season - batting, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, victories, strikeouts, ERA and the leading firemen - each card naming the National League leader first and the American League leader second. #205 Victory Leaders names four pitchers: Steve Carlton for the National League and Dave Goltz, Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the American League.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.