1979 Topps #306 Floyd Bannister
About Floyd Bannister
Tonsillitis in spring training 1978 started a hard year for Bannister, who went 3-9 with a 4.81 ERA and was moved to a relief role after starting 16 of his 28 games. Houston traded him to Seattle for shortstop Craig Reynolds on December 8, 1978, so card #306 still lists him with the Astros. With the Mariners in 1979 he went 10-15 with a 4.05 ERA in 30 starts.
Floyd Bannister was a left-handed starter who pitched 15 seasons in the majors for the Astros, Mariners, White Sox, Royals, Angels and Rangers, finishing 134-143 with a 4.06 ERA and 1,723 strikeouts. He led Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, Washington, to a state title in 1973, was named college player of the year by The Sporting News at Arizona State, and went first overall in the 1976 draft. The best of his four years in Seattle was 1982, when he made his only All-Star team and led the American League with 209 strikeouts. A free agent that winter, he signed a five-year, $4.5 million contract with the White Sox and went 16-10 with a 3.35 ERA in 1983, helping Chicago win the AL West. His 11 complete games in 1987 were a career high. A shoulder injury ended his 1989 season, and he pitched for the Yakult Swallows in Japan in 1990 before finishing as a reliever. He held several Mariners career records, including strikeouts and complete games, and entered the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 60 | 4 | 43 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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: #381 Houston Astros / Bill Virdon
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- #14 Rafael Landestoy
- #49 Vern Ruhle
- #68 Joe Niekro
- #107 Jesus Alou
- #130 Bob Watson
- #139 Luis Pujols
- #158 Joe Sambito
- #187 Mark Lemongello
- #203 J.R. Richard
- #232 Jimmy Sexton
- #268 Julio Gonzalez
- #289 Jose Cruz
- #327 Art Howe
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #306 card?
It is card #306 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Floyd Bannister of the Houston Astros.
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.