Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1983 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Gary Gaetti
Position/Team: 3rd Base for Twins
Card #: 431
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Gary Gaetti, nicknamed “The Rat,” had a long and impactful career in Major League Baseball, spanning 20 seasons from 1981 to 2000. Primarily known as a third baseman, he was celebrated for his power hitting and exceptional defense.
He played a pivotal role in the Twins’ 1987 World Series victory, hitting three home runs in the postseason and earning the ALCS MVP award. He was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner at third base (1986-1989) and was selected to the All-Star team twice (1988, 1989).
After his tenure with the Twins, Gaetti went on to play for several other teams: California Angels (1991-1993), Kansas City Royals (1993-1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996-1998), Chicago Cubs (1998-1999) and Boston Red Sox (2000): He had a brief stint with the Red Sox before retiring on April 14, 2000.
After retiring as a player, Gaetti transitioned into coaching. He served as the hitting coach for the Houston Astros from 2004-2006, helping them win an NLCS championship in 2005. He also managed the Sugar Land Skeeters from 2012-2017.
Shop current listings for this card on ebay!
Clicking a link to eBay may result in a referral commission being paid if a purchase is made.
Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1983 Topps Rookie Card Prices
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.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
Did You Know? Gaetti wasn’t just a reliable defender; he was a master of orchestrating the ultimate defensive rarity. Over his career, Gaetti had an uncanny knack for being in the exact right place at the exact right time to turn historic triple plays.
His most famous defensive masterpiece occurred on July 17, 1990, against the Boston Red Sox. With runners on first and second, Boston’s Tom Brunansky ripped a sharp grounder down the third-base line. Gaetti expertly stepped on third base for the first out, fired a bullet to second baseman Al Newman for the second out, who then zipped it to Kent Hrbek at first base to complete a spectacular 5-4-3 triple play. Incredibly, the Twins turned another 5-4-3 triple play less than three innings later in the exact same game—making them the first and only team in Major League history to turn two triple plays in a single game, with Gaetti starting both of them.
Other Gary Gaetti Rookie Cards:
More Rookie Cards From 1983 Topps Baseball
