1978 Topps #343 John Wathan
About John Wathan
On August 25, 1977, Wathan hit his first major league home run as a pinch hitter against Milwaukee. He finished the season with a .328 average and 21 RBI in 55 games for Kansas City. His 1978 Topps card, #343, has him with the Royals.
John Wathan spent ten major league seasons with Kansas City, playing catcher, first base and the outfield. He hit .262 in 860 games and stole 105 bases. In 1982 he stole 36 bases while appearing in 120 games behind the plate. The Royals selected him fourth overall in the January 1971 draft from the University of San Diego. His impressions of John Wayne earned him the nickname "Duke." After playing on Kansas City's 1985 World Series champions, he coached for the club in 1986 and managed Triple-A Omaha in 1987. He managed the Royals from August 1987 into 1991, winning 92 games in 1989. As California's acting manager in 1992, he filled in while Buck Rodgers recovered from injuries suffered in a bus accident.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 238 | 45 | 146 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #724 Kansas City Royals Team
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #19 Darrell Porter
- #46 Al Cowens
- #73 Andy Hassler
- #100 George Brett
- #129 Jim Colborn
- #157 Pete LaCock
- #183 Doug Bird
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #218 Marty Pattin
- #248 Frank White
- #274 Freddie Patek
- #299 Whitey Herzog
- #331 Mark Littell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #343 card?
It is card #343 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Wathan of the Kansas City Royals.
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.