1979 Topps #714 Blue Jays Prospects - Victor Cruz / Pat Kelly / Ernie Whitt
On this card: Victor Cruz, Pat Kelly, Ernie Whitt
About this card
Cards #701-726 are the 26 three-player Prospects cards, one per club - AL clubs first, each league in alphabetical order by city - with black-and-white player photos on the front. A Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card. On #703, #705, #712, #718 and #723, one or two of the players never reached the major leagues.
The story on this card
Toronto used Cruz in 32 relief appearances in 1978; he went 7-3 with a 1.71 ERA and 9 saves. His 1979 Topps rookie card, #714, listed him with Pat Kelly and Ernie Whitt in the Blue Jays Prospects trio. Toronto traded Cruz to Cleveland for Alfredo Griffin and Phil Lansford on December 5, 1978. In his June 24, 1978 debut, Toronto reliever Victor Cruz retired all five Cleveland batters he faced, striking out Andre Thornton and Johnny Grubb. He earned his first save the next day.
Kelly backed up Ernie Whitt at Syracuse in 1978, batting .161 in 55 games. They shared Toronto's 1979 Topps Prospects card #714 with Victor Cruz; it was Kelly's rookie card. After 6 games with Syracuse in 1979, Kelly moved to Kinston, where he hit .309 with 23 doubles. Former Blue Jays catcher Pat Kelly managed his son Casey at Louisville in 2024. After Casey pitched 6 games for the Bats, his father delivered the news of his promotion to Cincinnati.
Syracuse used Whitt at first base and in the outfield as well as behind the plate in 1978 while Pat Kelly received catching work. Whitt batted .246 with 12 home runs there and appeared in 2 September games for Toronto. The Blue Jays' 1979 Topps Prospects card, #714, grouped him with Victor Cruz and Kelly. In 1979, Whitt returned to Syracuse and received the International League's Silver Glove Award for defensive catching. Catcher Ernie Whitt's first major-league hit was a home run for Boston on September 21, 1976. His solo shot off Milwaukee's Jim Colborn struck the right-field foul pole in a 3-1 loss.
Sources: Wikipedia (Pat Kelly (catcher)) · Wikipedia (Ernie Whitt) · SABR BioProject (Victor Cruz) · SABR BioProject (Pat Kelly 3) · SABR BioProject (Ernie Whitt) · MiLB.com · Canada's Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 116 | 14 | 70 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #714 card?
It is card #714 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Victor Cruz, Pat Kelly and Ernie Whitt. Cards #701-726 are the 26 three-player Prospects cards, one per club - AL clubs first, each league in alphabetical order by city - with black-and-white player photos on the front. A Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card. On #703, #705, #712, #718 and #723, one or two of the players never reached the major leagues.
Is 1979 Topps #714 a rookie card?
Yes - #714 is the rookie card of Victor Cruz and Pat Kelly. Ernie Whitt had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.