1979 Topps #46 Ron Hodges
About Ron Hodges
Hodges appeared in 47 games in 1978, 30 of them as catcher, and hit .255. The Mets went 66-96 and finished last. 'As a backup, I had to learn how to come in off the bench,' he said of the role. His 1979 card is #46.
Ron Hodges was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent all 12 of his major-league seasons, 1973 to 1984, with the New York Mets, nearly all of them as a backup. He was drafted by the Orioles, the Royals and the Braves without signing, then joined the Mets through the 1972 secondary draft, and was brought up to New York when injuries hit the club's catchers. He played behind Jerry Grote and John Stearns through seven Mets managers, and named Yogi Berra and George Bamberger as his favorites. He reached 100 games in a season once, playing 110 in 1983 when injuries to Stearns made him the regular. On Opening Day 1983 he caught Tom Seaver's return to the Mets, at Seaver's request. A career .240 hitter with 19 home runs, he had a .342 on-base percentage. During winters he substitute-taught physical education at a middle school. A native of Rocky Mount, Virginia, who played college ball at Appalachian State, he sold real estate in Rocky Mount for 30 years after retiring and died in November 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 49 | 5 | 28 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 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
More New York Mets cards:
- #7 1978 ERA Leaders
- #21 Kevin Kobel
- #69 Elliott Maddox
- #109 Joel Youngblood
- #148 Bruce Boisclair
- #172 Mike Bruhert
- #197 Bob Apodaca
- #205 John Stearns
- #229 Doug Flynn
- #277 Tom Grieve
- #305 Willie Montanez
- #334 Craig Swan
- #355 Lee Mazzilli
- #379 Dale Murray
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #46 card?
It is card #46 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Hodges 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.