1978 Topps #28 Ed Ott
About Ed Ott
Sanguillen came back to Pittsburgh in a trade with Oakland just before Opening Day, but Ott still caught in 97 of his 112 games. He batted .269 with 9 home runs and 38 RBI. He won National League Player of the Week for the week of September 3. Card #28 carries his Pirates photo.
Ed Ott was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before finishing with the California Angels in 1981. A 23rd-round pick in 1970 out of Muncy, Pennsylvania, he signed as a third baseman and was moved to the outfield by his first minor-league manager. After the 1974 season he agreed to learn catching because the Pirates' outfield was crowded with Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Richie Zisk. He debuted June 10, 1974, and became the Pirates' regular catcher in a platoon with Duffy Dyer and later Steve Nicosia. A league wrestling champion at Muncy High School at 165 pounds, he was a clubhouse leader on the 1979 World Series champions. A rotator cuff injury ended his playing days with 567 games, a .259 average and 33 home runs. He managed Pirates farm clubs in 1985-86, coached the Houston Astros from 1989 to 1993, where in a 1991 brawl he held Reds reliever Rob Dibble in a chokehold, and was the Detroit Tigers' bullpen coach in 2001-02. He also managed in independent ball.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 135 | 22 | 76 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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: #606 Pittsburgh Pirates Team
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #53 Phil Garner
- #84 Kent Tekulve
- #138 Larry Demery
- #165 Rennie Stennett
- #190 John Candelaria
- #201 1977 Batting Leaders
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #207 1977 ERA Leaders
- #223 Bruce Kison
- #255 Jerry Reuss
- #283 Omar Moreno
- #308 Jim Rooker
- #323 Jim Fregosi
- #383 Mario Mendoza
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #28 card?
It is card #28 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Ott of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.