Robin Yount (born 1955) is best remembered for his 20 year career with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1974 to 1993. Over that career, Yount had a .285 batting average, 3,142 hits, 251 home runs, and 1,406 runs batted in. He was a three time All Star, a two time AL MVP, a Gold Glove Award winner, and a three time Silver Slugger Award winner.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 on the first ballot with 77.5% of the vote. Additionally, the Milwaukee Brewers retired his no. 19 jersey and inducted him into their Wall of Honor.
Born in Danville, Illinois, Yount’s family moved around, but they settled in southern California. Robin went to a high school in Woodland Hills which is near Los Angeles. After doing well in high school, Yount was drafted at 17 years old in the 1973 MLB Draft. He was the third pick overall.
The draft took place in June, Yount turned 18 in September, and he was called up for his first Major League season in April. Although he
could not record a hit for his first four games, Yount won his sixth game with a home run.
He remains the most recent 18 year old to hit a home run in MLB (four players have hit home runs as 19 year olds since then). Yount also set the record for most MLB games before their 20th birthday. Yount was not just “The Kid”; he was producing at a high level too.
Yount was almost moved to the outfield in 1978. He threatened to quit and play professional golf, but the team agreed to his demands.
He began to reach his peak in 1982 where he won his first AL MVP. He received 27 of 28 first place votes from the MVP voting. Yount had 210 hits that season, which led the AL. His lead in hits was decided on the last game when Yount had a four hit game, leading with two home runs which were against Hall of Famer Jim Palmer.
Additionally, he recorded a .957 OPS, a .578 slugging percentage, and 367 total bases, and he led the AL in all three of those categories and won a Gold Glove Award as well.
The cherry on top is that the Brewers had a great season as a team where they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series in seven games. Yount had two games with four hits, and he ended the Series with one home run, six RBIs, and a .414 batting average.
Yount was later forced to move to the outfield due to injury issues. He did well in the outfield, though he preferred shortstop. Over 1,200 games, he had a .990 fielding percentage. He was switched between center and left field, and the Brewers management settled on him at center field from 1986.
Despite the injury, Yount stayed impressive at the plate, and he continued to excel as a player.
A crowning achievement for Yount was his second AL MVP in 1989. He is one of four players to win two MVP awards from two different positions, and he was the first AL player to win more than one MVPs since Roger Maris in 1961 and Mickey Mantle in 1962.
Yount was a free agent following the 1989 season, and he received several offers. He decided to stick with the Brewers. He collected his 3000th hit with his original team on September 9, 1992.
Yount stayed heavily involved with MLB at many different coaching positions for several different teams.
Many of Yount’s earlier cards are more valuable, and this article will focus on those early career cards from the 1970s. As you dive into the 80s and 90s, his cards become cheaper and cheaper.
1975 Topps Robin Yount Rookie Card
The 1975 Topps had 660 cards of standard size (2 ½” x 3 ½”). Robin Yount sits at #223 in the set, and he is the major key to the set, along
with George Brett’s rookie card.
There are nearly 300,000 cards registered on PSA for the set, which can hopefully provide some reference. Over 9,000 cards are Yount copies.
Gem Mint copies are infrequently brought up for sale. They sold for between $20,000 and $30,000 in a few sales since 2010, but a Gem Mint copy sold for $60,100 in December of 2020.
Mint copies were selling for around $1,000 for over a decade, but since the outbreak of Covid-19, prices have been more inconsistent and higher.
However, if you drop to a PSA 8, you can buy a respectable copy for a few hundred dollars.
1975 Topps Mini Robin Yount Rookie Card
In 1975, Topps released an identical set, known today as the Topps Mini, with 660 cards, but each card measures 2 ¼” x 3 ⅛”. The cards were sold only in Michigan and the West Coast, and the set functioned as a test balloon for a mini product line.
There are over 100,000 copies graded by PSA, and over 2,000 copies are Yount cards.
Though Gem Mint copies sold for around $3,000 to $5,000 for the last several years, a Gem Mint copy sold for $27,060 in March of 2021 and $21,455 in April of 2021.
Prices for Mint copies seem similarly difficult, but on a budget of $1,000, a PSA Mint 9 seems possible.
1975 O-Pee-Chee Robin Yount Rookie Card
O-Pee-Chee also released a set in 1975, and it functions as the Canadian version of the 1975 Topps. Mostly everything is the same with a few differences, like the “Made in Canada” or statistics in French.
Since it is the O-Pee-Chee brand, the price and population drops dramatically. However, it could function as a Yount rookie on the budgeted collector.
PSA only has 9,000 cards registered for the set. Yount copies number about 150.
Gem Mint and Mint copies are rare, but a PSA 8 sold for $546 in March of 2021.
1976 Topps Robin Yount
There are 660 cards of standard size in the 1976 Topps, and Yount sits at #316.
There are over 150,000 cards registered with PSA from this set, and nearly 3,000 of those cards are Yount copies.
A Gem Mint copy sold for $2,605 in April of 2021, but Mint copies were selling for a couple hundred around the same time.
1977 Topps Robin Yount
There are 660 cards of standard size in the 1977 Topps set, and Yount sits at #635.
Over 100,000 copies are graded and registered with PSA, and several hundred cards are Yount copies.
While a Gem Mint copy sold for $3,360 in August of 2020, prices fall dramatically to a couple hundred for a Mint copy.
Conclusion
Most of the best cards were covered here. There are plenty more to dig through, and it will always be good to have a good copy of a Hall of Famer.
Yount is an excellent player from his generation, but he will be best remembered as one of the greatest that Milwaukee Brewers ever had. He leads the Brewers for career games, hit, runs, doubles, triples, RBIs, bases, and walks. Yount is synonymous with the Milwaukee Brewers.