1979 Topps #217 Steve Dillard
About Steve Dillard
The Tigers named on Dillard's #217 card had already traded him: near the end of 1979 spring training he went to the Cubs for a player to be named later, Ed Putman. He hit .283 with five home runs in 89 games for Chicago that year, 60 of them at second base. He later called Chicago the greatest place to play in the National League.
Steve Dillard was a right-handed reserve infielder, mostly a second baseman, who played eight seasons for the Red Sox, Tigers, Cubs and White Sox between 1975 and 1982. Born in Memphis and raised in Saltillo, Mississippi, he turned down the Padres as a 13th-round pick in 1970 for a scholarship to Ole Miss, and Boston took him in the second round in 1972. Shoulder surgeries cost him some arm strength, and the Red Sox moved him from shortstop to second base. He debuted on September 28, 1975, with two hits, two runs and a stolen base. He finished with a .243 average, 13 home runs and 102 RBIs. The Cubs released him on December 17, 1981, and his 1982 season ended with 16 games for the White Sox. He then managed in the minors for the White Sox, Astros and Cardinals organizations, finishing at Quad Cities in 2008 and 2009. His son Tim pitched in relief for Milwaukee.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 79 | 14 | 48 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 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: #66 Detroit Tigers / Les Moss
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #4 1978 Stolen Base Leaders
- #33 Dave Rozema
- #80 Jason Thompson
- #93 Phil Mankowski
- #123 Lou Whitaker
- #151 John Hiller
- #176 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #196 Steve Kemp
- #231 Johnny Wockenfuss
- #251 Jack Morris
- #272 Tim Corcoran
- #288 Milt Wilcox
- #316 Milt May
- #343 Ed Glynn
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #217 card?
It is card #217 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Dillard of the Detroit Tigers.
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.