1979 Topps #566 Nino Espinosa
About Nino Espinosa
Card #566 still carries the Mets, though New York had traded him to Philadelphia for Richie Hebner and Jose Moreno ten days before Opening Day. With the Phillies he was 5-1 with a 1.25 ERA by May 10, after 34 innings without an earned run. He had 12 wins by August 15, his 26th birthday, when he felt a twinge in his right shoulder warming up in Cincinnati. He finished 14-12 with a 3.65 ERA.
Nino Espinosa was a Dominican right-hander known for pinpoint control, who held down a rotation spot with the New York Mets in 1977 and 1978 before a trade sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies. Born Arnulfo Acevedo in Villa Altagracia, he became Espinosa in the United States when the signing paperwork took his mother's surname as his last name. He signed with the Mets on September 30, 1970, at 17, after winning games for his brother's team in Brooklyn's Pan American League, and debuted as a September 1974 call-up. He credited Tom Seaver with the tip to bend his back knee, which kept his pitches down. For his career he went 44-55 with a 4.17 ERA for the Mets, Phillies and, briefly in 1981, the Toronto Blue Jays. In winter ball he pitched for Aguilas Cibaenas, and in the 1979 Caribbean Series he became the first pitcher to throw consecutive shutouts. A shoulder injury ended his career. He was released by Philadelphia in 1981, tried out for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1983, scouted in the Dominican Republic and died of a heart attack on December 24, 1987, at age 34.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 87 | 19 | 45 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #566 card?
It is card #566 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nino Espinosa 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.