Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1976 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Roy Smalley
Position/Team: Shortstop for Rangers
Card #: 657
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
When looking at baseball history, Roy Smalley usually brings to mind a notable father-son duo of Major League shortstops, with the son carving out a particularly memorable career in the American League during the late 1970s and 1980s.
This younger Smalley was a highly touted prospect out of USC who went on to play 13 seasons in the big leagues (1975–1987). A classic switch-hitting shortstop with excellent power for the position in that era, he is best remembered for his two distinct stints with the Minnesota Twins, though he also spent significant time with the New York Yankees.
The 1978 Breakout: Smalley firmly established himself as an elite offensive shortstop in 1978, playing 158 games for the Twins, hitting 19 home runs, drawing 85 walks.
1979 All-Star Season: His absolute peak came in 1979 when he was voted the starting AL shortstop in the All-Star Game. He hit .341 in the first half of the season and finished the year batting .271 with career-highs in home runs (24) and RBIs (95), while leading the league in games played (162).
Yankees & White Sox Stints: Traded to New York in 1982, he hit 20 home runs that season and another 18 in 1983, moving between shortstop, third base, and designated hitter.
1987 World Championship: Smalley returned to Minnesota in 1985 and went out on top, serving as a veteran presence and part-time DH for the legendary 1987 Twins team that won the World Series.
This 1976 Topps card features him as a young shortstop for the Texas Rangers. It is his official, main-set Topps Rookie Card.
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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.
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Did You Know? Roy Smalley III was drafted an incredible five separate times by major league teams between 1970 and 1974 before finally signing when the Texas Rangers made him the number one overall pick in the January secondary draft. When he was later traded to the Minnesota Twins, he spent five seasons playing shortstop directly under the team’s manager, Gene Mauch—who not only happened to be his biological uncle, but had also been a major league teammate of Smalley’s own father.
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