1979 Topps #726 Giants Prospects - Greg Johnston / Joe Strain / John Tamargo
On this card: Greg Johnston, Joe Strain, John Tamargo
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
At Triple-A Phoenix in 1978, Johnston batted .274 with 6 home runs and 68 RBIs. He also stole 34 bases in 133 games. His rookie card followed on 1979 Topps #726, the Giants Prospects card he shared with Joe Strain and John Tamargo, both also listed with San Francisco. Giants and Twins outfielder Greg Johnston also made 2 pitching appearances for Triple-A Toledo. He threw 2 scoreless innings in 1980 and another scoreless inning in 1981, allowing 1 hit across the 2 appearances.
Strain made his major league debut on June 28, 1979, and batted .241 with 62 hits and 8 stolen bases for San Francisco that year. His rookie card, 1979 Topps #726, is the Giants Prospects card he shares with Greg Johnston and John Tamargo. Giants second baseman Joe Strain hit his only major league home run on July 10, 1979. His 2-run shot off Montreal's Rudy May put San Francisco ahead in the top of the 9th inning.
Tamargo moved from San Francisco to Montreal in a trade on June 13, 1979. He batted .247 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI between the clubs. His 1979 Topps rookie card belonged to the Giants Prospects group on #726, with Greg Johnston and Joe Strain. Clinton manager John Tamargo faced his son John Jr. in a Midwest League game in 2010. His son, Lansing's hitting coach, served as the Lugnuts' acting manager for that game.
Sources: Wikipedia (Greg Johnston) · Wikipedia (Joe Strain) · Wikipedia (John Tamargo) · MLB.com · Stats Crew · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 127 | 38 | 59 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #726 card?
It is card #726 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Greg Johnston, Joe Strain and John Tamargo. 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 #726 a rookie card?
Yes - #726 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Greg Johnston, Joe Strain and John Tamargo.
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.