The 1981 Topps baseball card set was the 60th year Topps produced baseball cards and contains photos and stats from the 1980 MLB season. A complete checklist ranges from #1 to #792 featuring all 26 MLB teams from that season.
The set kickstarts with Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros, arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. Ryan was coming off a season where he led the league in strikeouts for the 8th time. Some key stats for Ryan in 1980 included a 18-11 record with 223 strikeouts and a 2.48 ERA.
The next star featured is Rod Carew of the California Angels at #2. Carew was in his 12th season in the majors in 1980 and was coming off another superb season hitting .333 with 205 hits, 15 home runs and 91 RBI. Carew had won the AL batting title 7 times by this point and was the anchor of the Angels lineup.
Other top players amongst the first dozen cards included Dave Parker of the Pirates at #3, Don Sutton of the Astros at #4, and Andre Dawson of the Montreal Expos at #10, who was beginning to emerge as a star.
Moving into the teens, Kirk Gibson made his Topps rookie card debut for the Detroit Tigers at #15 after being called up late in 1980. Future Hall of Famer Tony Perez of the Expos and Reds great Johnny Bench rounded out cards #16 and #17 respectively.
The Chicago Cubs franchise player of the time, Bill Buckner, was featured on card #22. Buckner was coming off a season where he hit .324 with 13 home runs and 79 RBI for the Cubs in 1980.
Sticking in the National League East, Philadelphia Phillies ace Steve Carlton received the #25 slot. “Lefty” was in his prime coming off a season where he went 24-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 286 strikeouts, winning the NL Cy Young Award.
Top young stars also made appearances early on like Darrell Porter of the Royals at #31 and Jerry Remy of the Red Sox at #32, who both broke out in 1980. Remy hit .268 with 94 runs scored out of the leadoff spot for Boston in ’80.
Moving into the middle portion of the checklist, Fan favorites like Mike Schmidt of the Phillies at #62, Reggie Jackson of the Yankees at #69, and Eddie Murray of the Orioles at #79 continued to showcase the biggest names in baseball on cards sporting their new teams’ uniforms from 1980.
Schmidt was coming off another monster 40 home run, 120 RBI season while being a perennial MVP candidate during this time in his Hall of Fame career. Jackson sported pinstripes after signing with the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason.
Catching up in the high 70’s, Nolan Ryan’s co-ace Joe Niekro of the Astros received the #78 slot. Niekro compiled a 21-11 record in 1980 to go along with a solid 3.00 ERA for the talent-laden Astros staff.
Rookies began to appear more frequently as the checklist progressed into the 100-200 range. Future Reds HOF shortstop Barry Larkin made his first Topps appearance at #123 out of Michigan State University after being drafted 4th overall in 1979.
Other notable rookies included Tim Raines of the Expos at #159 in his first of 23 MLB seasons, and future 300 game winner Frank Viola at #190 as a member of the Minnesota Twins, who was just getting his first sustained taste of major league action in 1980.
Into the heart of the roster in the 200’s, perennial MVP candidates like George Brett of the Royals at #238, and NL batting champ Dusty Baker of the Dodgers at #248 continued representing their franchises. Meanwhile, Baseball lifers like Mike Cuellar of the Angels at #237 and Reds manager John McNamara at #246 manned cards into their mid to late 30’s.
Making their Topps debuts later on were up and comers like Willie McGee of the Cardinals at #272 and young Yankee slugger Don Mattingly at #287, who both broke into the majors late in 1980. Mattingly appeared as a non-roster invitee to Yankees Spring Training in his rookie card after a monster minors season in 1980.
The checklist kept churning notable players through the 300-400 range like Dave Concepcion of the Reds at #315, Tommy John of the Dodgers at #320, and Pete Rose, then player-manager of the Phillies at #356, as he pursued hitting milestones late in his playing career.
Rookies shot up even more frequently to round out the early portion of the 1980’s. Cal Ripken Jr led the charge with his Topps debut for the Baltimore Orioles at #375 in his first full MLB season after being called up late in 1979. Another rookie standout, Darrell Evans of the Giants, earned the #385 slot in his first of 21 big league campaigns.
By the 500’s, pitching stalwarts were signified like Jim Palmer of the Orioles at #509 in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, while Detroit Tigers flamethrower Jack Morris received the #535 slot, coming off a 21 win season in 1980.
Rookies still littered the later third of the checklist. Future starting pitchers like Frank Viola of the Twins again at #556, Walt Terrell of the Tigers at #565, and Joe Price of the Rangers at #574 all made their first cardboard appearances as they broke into the majors in 1980.
The homestretch contained many role players and middle relievers to round out rosters amongst the 700’s. It didn’t lack big stars either like Mike Schmidt again of the Phillies at #763 and Nolan Ryan yet again of the Astros wrapping up at #792 in the final card position.
In total, the complete 1981 Topps baseball set spanned 792 total players and included over 100 rookie cards showcasing the next generation of baseball stars. Veteran leaders mixed with young talents established the foundation of teams for the decade ahead. The checklist remains a trip down memory lane revisiting the great players, teams and uniforms from MLB’s 1980 season.
