1978 Topps #287 Kiko Garcia
About Kiko Garcia
Garcia played 79 games in 1978 and hit .263. Fielding kept him behind Belanger: on May 11 his ninth-inning error let the deciding run score in a 5-4 Red Sox win, and he made 16 errors to Belanger's nine. Player-coach Elrod Hendricks, back in Baltimore after the 1977 season, helped him adjust. His card that year is #287.
Kiko Garcia was an infielder who spent his best years with the Baltimore Orioles, taking over at shortstop from Mark Belanger in 1979 and hitting .400 in that fall's World Series. Alfonso Rafael Garcia was born in Martinez, California, and got his nickname from his grandmother when he was a small boy. He played quarterback and wide receiver at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord before Baltimore drafted him in the third round in 1971. He reached the majors in September 1976. In the 1979 World Series against Pittsburgh he went 4-for-4 with four RBIs in Game 3, including a bases-loaded triple that chased John Candelaria. Chronic back trouble hampered him from 1979 onward and he hit .199 in 1980. The Orioles traded him to Houston on April 1, 1981, for outfielder Chris Bourjos, and he backed up Craig Reynolds there for two seasons. He signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in 1983, hit .345 at Portland, and was a utility man on the pennant winners, batting .288 in 84 games. His last game came in 1985. He later ran a batting cage business in Pleasanton and coached girls fastpitch in Northern California.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 158 | 25 | 102 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 3 | 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: #96 Baltimore Orioles Team
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #4 Brooks Robinson
- #9 Doug DeCinces
- #36 Eddie Murray
- #65 Ken Singleton
- #119 Denny Martinez
- #160 Jim Palmer
- #188 Al Bumbry
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #211 Earl Weaver
- #237 Rich Dauer
- #262 Rudy May
- #315 Mark Belanger
- #341 Mike Flanagan
- #367 Rick Dempsey
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #287 card?
It is card #287 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Kiko Garcia of the Baltimore Orioles.
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.