1979 Topps #197 Bob Apodaca
About Bob Apodaca
Apodaca's 1979 Topps #197 still lists him with the Mets. Still recovering from the elbow ligament tear he suffered in 1978, he pitched four innings that year for the Tidewater Tides, the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, and did not pitch at all in 1980.
Bob Apodaca, a Los Angeles native, played third base in high school and became a pitcher at Cerritos College, then was Cal State Los Angeles' MVP as a senior. The Mets signed him as an amateur free agent in 1971, and he went 24-11 with a 2.73 ERA in their farm system before a September 1973 call-up. In 1974 he earned a save in his first appearance of the season. In 1975 he posted a 1.49 ERA and 13 saves in 46 games. He pitched for the Mets through 1977, finishing 16-25 with a 2.84 ERA and 26 saves in 184 games. A torn elbow ligament ended his playing career, and he retired in 1981 after six games at Double-A Jackson. He became a pitching coach and was named South Atlantic League Pitching Coach of the Year in 1986. He was the Mets' major league pitching coach from 1996 to 1999, then held the same job with Milwaukee in 2000-01 and with Colorado from 2003 to June 2012, a stretch that included the 2007 National League pennant.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 107 | 24 | 63 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 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: #82 New York Mets / Joe Torre
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- #205 John Stearns
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- #277 Tom Grieve
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #197 card?
It is card #197 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Apodaca of the New York Mets.
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.