Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1970 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Chuck Taylor
Position/Team: Pitcher for Cardinals
Card #: 119
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Taylor was a classic example of baseball perseverance. Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961 out of Middle Tennessee State University, he spent nearly eight full seasons grinding through the minor leagues.
His career completely turned around in 1967 when he was loaned to the Indianapolis Indians (a White Sox affiliate). There, a former major league pitcher named Eli Grba taught Taylor how to properly throw a slider without putting strain on his elbow. Equipped with his new weapon, Taylor dominated Triple-A in 1968, going 18–7 with a microscopic 2.35 ERA under manager Warren Spahn.
The St. Louis Cardinals Debut (1969–1971): The Cardinals finally called the 27-year-old Taylor up to the big leagues in May 1969, putting him on a staff that featured icons like Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton. In 1969 he worked as a spot starter and long reliever, posting a spectacular 2.56 ERA over 126.2 innings. Then in 1970 he became a cornerstone of the Redbirds’ bullpen, appearing in 56 games, notched 6 wins, and secured 8 saves with a 3.11 ERA.
The 1972 Bumpy Road (Mets & Brewers): Following the 1971 season, Taylor was traded to the New York Mets in a major 8-player swap that included Art Shamsky. His stay in New York was tough; he struggled to a 5.52 ERA over 20 games before being claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers in September, where he finished the year strong.
The Montreal Expos Peak (1973–1976): After signing with Montreal, Taylor found his second baseball home. When the Expos traded away their bullpen ace Mike Marshall after the 1973 season, Taylor stepped up and authored the absolute finest season of his career.
The 1974 Gem: Taylor was magnificent in 1974. He took the ball in 61 games, firing 107.2 innings completely in relief and posting a stellar 2.17 ERA. He finished 6th in the National League with 11 saves and 9th in total games pitched. He remained a high-use weapon for Montreal through 1976, leading the staff with 6 saves in 1975 before wrapping up his career.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
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Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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Did You Know? Taylor was the second player from Middle Tennessee State University to ever make the Major Leagues, Taylor remains a legendary figure in his home state. He was inducted into the MTSU Athletics Hall of Fame, and the baseball program’s home locker room is formally named in his honor. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 76.
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