1978 Topps #21 Steve Kemp
About Steve Kemp
In his second major-league season, Kemp played 159 games, 157 of them in the outfield, and batted .277 with 15 home runs and 79 RBIs. His 161 hits came in 582 at-bats, and he scored 75 runs. His #21 card lists him with the Tigers.
Steve Kemp was a left-handed-hitting outfielder for the Tigers, White Sox, Yankees, Pirates and Rangers across 11 major-league seasons from 1977 to 1988. He played at USC under Rod Dedeaux and was part of the 1973 and 1974 College World Series champions. In 1975 he hit .435, led USC with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs, and earned All-American honors. Detroit made him the first overall selection in the January phase of the 1976 draft. After one minor-league season, he reached the Tigers and played there through 1981. Kemp spent 1982 with the White Sox, 1983 and 1984 with the Yankees and 1985 and 1986 with Pittsburgh, then appeared in 16 games for Texas in 1988. His career totals included 130 home runs, 634 RBIs and a .278 average in 1,168 games. He drew 576 walks and posted a .367 on-base percentage. After leaving the majors he played a season in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He entered the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 130 | 20 | 65 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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: #404 Detroit Tigers Team
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- #94 Chuck Scrivener
- #124 Dave Rozema
- #151 Milt Wilcox
- #176 Milt May
- #232 Mickey Stanley
- #258 John Hiller
- #286 Ben Oglivie
- #342 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #370 Rusty Staub
- #385 Tito Fuentes
- #456 Vern Ruhle
- #480 Ron LeFlore
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #21 card?
It is card #21 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Kemp of the Detroit Tigers.
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.