1978 Topps #388 Bill Fahey
About Bill Fahey
Fahey spent all of 1978 in Triple-A with Tucson of the Pacific Coast League after John Ellis, a former Yankee and three-year starting catcher for Cleveland, beat him out as Sundberg's backup in Texas. His 1978 Topps card, #388, carries the Texas Rangers team name.
Bill Fahey was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent 11 seasons in the majors, 1971 to 1983, nearly all of them as a backup, with the Senators and Rangers, the Padres and the Tigers. A Detroit native, he played five sports at Union High in Redford, Michigan, and Washington made him the first overall pick of the January 1970 secondary draft. Ted Williams predicted he would be the American League's All-Star catcher in 1975. Instead a run of injuries, including a broken hand in 1975, slowed him while Jim Sundberg took over in Texas. In December 1978 the Rangers sent him to San Diego with Mike Hargrove and Kurt Bevacqua for Oscar Gamble and Dave Roberts. He hit .287 in 73 games for the Padres in 1979, set career highs in games and hits in 1980, and was sold to Detroit in March 1981. He finished with a .241 average, 7 home runs and 83 RBIs in 383 games, then coached for the Tigers in 1983 and the Giants from 1986 to 1991.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 200 | 36 | 128 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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: #659 Texas Rangers Team
More Texas Rangers cards:
- #23 Bump Wills
- #44 Toby Harrah
- #67 Claudell Washington
- #92 Adrian Devine
- #110 Richie Zisk
- #131 Bert Blyleven
- #146 Doyle Alexander
- #172 Mike Hargrove
- #209 Dock Ellis
- #238 Juan Beniquez
- #260 Bert Campaneris
- #290 Willie Horton
- #314 Paul Lindblad
- #337 Tom Grieve
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #388 card?
It is card #388 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Fahey of the Texas Rangers.
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.