#549 Cubs Rookie Stars - Roberto Pena / Glenn Beckert

Roberto Cesar Pena
Chicago Cubs
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'8"  Weight:  170
Born:  April 17, 1937, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1965-1966; Philadelphia Phillies 1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Oakland Athletics 1970; Milwaukee Brewers 1970-1971
Died:  July 23, 1982, Santiago, Dominican Republic (age 45)

Glenn Alfred Beckert
Chicago Cubs
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  October 12, 1940, Pittsburgh, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1965-1973; San Diego Padres 1974-1975
Died:  April 12, 2020, Englewood, FL (age 79)

Roberto Pena played sparingly with the Cubs for a few seasons, and in 1968 became the first major league Dominican-born player to play as a regular starting shortstop when he earned that job with the Phillies.  After batting a career-high .260 in 138 games, Pena was left unprotected following the season and selected by the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft.  He was the first second baseman in Padres franchise history, making 32 starts at second base, 21 starts at shortstop and 53 starts at shortstop throughout the year.  On the move again following the season, Pena began the 1970 season with the Athletics before a trade in mid-May sent him to Milwaukee.  He led all American League shortstops in fielding percentage in 1970 with a .979 mark.  His final big league action came in 1971 as a super utility player for the Brewers.  Pena appeared in 587 big league games overall, batting .245.  He'd later serve as a minor league instructor and scout in the Brewers organization.

During his 11-year major league career, including nearly a decade with the Cubs, Glenn Beckert was a four-time All-Star and a Gold Glove winner in 1968.  He and Don Kessinger were the Cubs' steady double play combination for most of the 1960s.  Beckert's Gold Glove season saw him bat .294 with a league-leading 98 runs scored.  He'd make the first of four consecutive All-Star teams in 1969 and Beckert finished as the runner-up to the league's batting title in 1971 when he batted .342.  Tough to strike out, he led the league five times in at-bats per strike out.  Beckert spent the final two seasons of his career as a back-up infielder for the Padres in 1974 and 1975.  In 1,320 career games, he batted .283 with 685 runs scored and his 3,712 assists as a second baseman are currently 70th on the all-time list.  Beckert was among the many Cubs' immortals inducted into the inaugural Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame class in 2021.

Building the Set

May 3, 2022 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Cards) - Card #590

Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards.  When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th, I admittedly got giddy.  We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set.  We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.

The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did.  There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight.  It was a little depressing.  Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet.

All of this is meant as a prelude to how this Cubs Rookie Stars card ended up in my collection.  My budgeted show money burning a hole in my pocket, I navigated over to Gar Miller Cards' online store when we got home and held my own virtual baseball card show.  I added four cards to our Diamond Cards set, crossed off three more cards for our 1965 Topps set and threw in a few cool cards to add to the 1969 Topps pile I've started.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
For some reason, this Rookie Stars card proved difficult to find as it was never present in any of the commons binders I flipped through at the Philly Shows I attended over the past few years.  Pena is hatless and wearing a Pirates jersey here, and this is his rookie card.  This is also Beckert's rookie card, and perhaps his popularity among Cubs' fans is part of the reason for the card's scarcity.

1965 Season - Pena
On December 9, 1964, the Pirates traded Pena to the Cubs for Andre Rodgers (#536) and cash.  He won the starting shortstop job for the Cubs out of spring training, going 3 for 6 with three errors on opening day against the Cardinals.  Pena struggled both at the plate and defensively, leading the league with 17 errors through June 9th, while batting only .219.  He was demoted to Double-A Dallas Fort-Worth, where he'd play the bulk of the season before a September promotion.  In 51 games with the Cubs, he batted .218 with a pair of home runs and 12 RBIs.

Phillies Career - Pena
On November 29, 1966, the Phillies drafted Pena from the Cubs in the annual minor league draft.  He spent the entire 1967 season with the San Diego Padres, then the Phillies' top farm team.  Pena began the 1968 season back in the minors before earning a promotion in late April as the Phillies decided shortstop Don Money could benefit from more time in the minors.

As the first Dominican-born everyday shortstop in the majors, Pena was second in the league in errors committed at the position with 32.  Following the season, the Padres selected him as the 48th pick in the 1968 expansion draft, ending his brief time with the Phillies.

1965 Season - Beckert
Primarily a shortstop the year before, Beckert moved to second base and won the Cubs' starting job out of spring training.  He was the club's opening day second baseman, and he'd go on to make 152 starts at the position, solidifying a strong infield with Kessinger at shortstop, Ernie Banks (#510) at first base and Ron Santo (#110) at third base.  In 154 games overall, Beckert batted .239 with 73 runs scored.

1966 Topps #559

2011 Chachi 1968 #PR1

1969 Topps #184

1970 Topps #44

1971 Topps #334

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Pena
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #549
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1965-1966, 1969-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1971 Topps #334

32 - Pena non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/20/22.

Sources - Pena:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Beckert
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #549
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1965-1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #8

96 - Beckert non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/20/22.

Sources - Beckert:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

1966 Topps #232

1968 Topps #101

1972 Topps #45

1973 Topps #440

1975 Topps #484

Previous Card:  #548 Dick Stigman - Minnesota Twins

Next Card:  #550 Mel Stottlemyre - New York Yankees

#380 Rocky Colavito - Cleveland Indians

Rocco Domenico Colavito
Cleveland Indians
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 10, 1933, New York, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1955-1959; Detroit Tigers 1960-1963; Kansas City Athletics 1964; Cleveland Indians 1965-1967; Chicago White Sox 1967; Los Angeles Dodgers 1968; New York Yankees 1968

One of the most prolific power hitters of the late 1950s and early 1960s, slugger Rocky Colavito played for 14 seasons in the majors, accumulating 374 career home runs.  He made his debut with the Indians late in the 1955 season, and was the runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 1956, his first of 11 straight seasons with at least 20 home runs.  Colavito led the league with a .620 slugging percentage in 1958 and drove in 113 runs, the first year out of six total in which he'd eclipse the century mark for RBIs.  In 1959, he was named to the first of nine All-Star teams and led the league with 42 home runs.  On June 10, 1959, Colavito connected for four consecutive home runs against the Orioles, joining Lou Gehrig as the second player in American League history with four home runs in a game.

1964 Topps Giants #9

Surprisingly dealt to the Tigers right before the start of the 1960 season for batting champion Harvey Kuenn (#103), the fan favorite left Cleveland and continued his impressive slugging in Detroit.  With the Tigers in 1961, he hit .290 with career highs in both home runs (45) and RBIs (140).  He'd return to Cleveland for the 1965 season in an eight-player, three-team trade, leading the league in RBIs with 108.  Always an above-average defender, in 1965 he would become the first American League outfielder to play a complete season with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.  Colavito spent the final two years of his playing career as a bench player and pinch-hitter for the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers and Yankees.  He tallied 1,730 hits while batting .266 and driving in 1,159.  He'd later coach for the Indians (1973, 1976-1978) and Royals (1982-1983) and was one of four ejected during the 1983 pine tar game between the Royals and Yankees.  Joining Colavito with ejections in that game were George Brett, Royals' manager Dick Howser (#92) and Yankees' pitcher Gaylord Perry (#193).

Building the Set

May 3, 2022 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Cards) - Card #589

Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards.  When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th, I admittedly got giddy.  We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set.  We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.

The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did.  There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight.  It was a little depressing.  Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet.

All of this is meant as a prelude to how this Colavito card ended up in my collection.  My budgeted show money burning a hole in my pocket, I navigated over to Gar Miller Cards' online store when we got home and held my own virtual baseball card show.  I added four cards to our Diamond Cards set, crossed off three more cards for our 1965 Topps set and threw in a few cool cards to add to the 1969 Topps pile I've started.

The Card / Indians Team Set
Topps blacked out the Athletics' logo on Colavito's hat, recycling a photo first used for the 1964 Topps Giants set.  The back of the card highlights his four home runs in a game performance from 1959, as well as his re-acquisition by the Indians.

I've now written about the massive eight-player trade that brought Colavito back to Cleveland for the 1965 season in eight posts, and I wanted to show all the players together in one mini gallery below.  As the set progressed into the third series, Topps started updating the players' team designations, beginning with the Tommy John (#208) card.

#17 - Indians to White Sox

#166 - Indians to White Sox

#208 - Indians to White Sox

#578 - White Sox to Indians

#89 - White Sox to Athletics

#376 - White Sox to Athletics

#58 - White Sox to Athletics

#380 - Athletics to Indians

1965 Season
Playing again for the Indians for the first time since 1959, Colavito started all 162 of the team's games in right field.  He batted .287 with 26 home runs and a team-leading 108 RBIs, as the Indians finished in fifth place.  He led the league in RBIs and walks (93), and was the starting right fielder for the American League All-Stars.  On September 6th, Colavito collected his 1,000th career RBI in the second game of a double header against the Senators.

1957 Topps #212

1959 Topps #420

1961 Topps #330

1966 Topps #150

1968 Topps #99

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #212
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1957-1968, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #81

243 - Colavito non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/18/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #379 San Francisco Giants Team Card

Next Card:  #381 Al Jackson - New York Mets

#372 Clay Dalrymple - Philadelphia Phillies

Clayton Errol Dalrymple
Philadelphia Phillies
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  December 3, 1936, Chico, CA
Acquired:  Obtained by the Milwaukee Braves from the Sacramento Solons (PCL) as part of a minor league working agreement
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1968; Baltimore Orioles 1969-1971

Clay Dalrymple was the regular catcher for the Phillies throughout much of the 1960s, earning the job due to his handling of the pitching staff and his above average defensive skills.  Dalrymple led all catchers in assists and runners caught stealing in three different seasons (1961, 1963 and 1965).  He peaked offensively with the Phillies in 1962, hitting career highs with a .276 average, 11 home runs and 54 RBIs.  Dalrymple led the league with eight sacrifice flies in 1964, and had a front row seat for the team's collapse in September.  He was behind the plate on September 21, 1964 when Chico Ruiz (#554) stole home to give the Reds a 1-0 victory and begin the Phillies' 10-game losing streak.

Dalrymple saw his playing time decrease during his last few years with the Phillies, sharing catching duties with Pat Corrales (#107), Bob Uecker (#519), Gene Oliver (#106) and finally Mike Ryan (#573).  A target of the Phillies' fans ire, Dalrymple requested a trade and was accommodated when the team sent him to the Orioles before the 1969 season.  Having come so close to the postseason in 1964, Dalrymple finally saw October action when the Orioles won the A.L. East pennant in 1969.  He was 2 for 2 with a pair of pinch-hit singles in the Series as the Orioles fell to the Mets in five games.  A broken ankle hobbled Dalrymple his final two years in the majors, and he retired following the 1971 season.

April 30, 2022 - Inside a mostly empty Music Pier

In 1,079 career games, Dalrymple batted .233 with 710 hits, 55 home runs and 327 RBIs.  For his career, Dalrymple ranks in the top 100 (98th) for double plays turned by a catcher with 79, and his 48.8% caught stealing percentage is currently 30th all-time.  

Building the Set

May 3, 2022 from Wenonah, NJ (Gar Miller Cards) - Card #588

Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards.  When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th, I admittedly got giddy.  We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set.  We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.

The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did.  There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight.  It was a little depressing.  Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet.

All of this is meant as a prelude to how this Dalrymple card ended up in my collection.  My budgeted show money burning a hole in my pocket, I navigated over to Gar Miller Cards' online store when we got home and held my own virtual baseball card show.  I added four cards to our Diamond Cards set, crossed off three more cards for our 1965 Topps set and threw in a few cool cards to add to the 1969 Topps pile I've started.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
With many of Dalrymple's baseball cards, including this one, there's no mistaking the player featured is a catcher.  The back of the card mentions his boxing prowess, and Dalrymple was 11-1 at Chico State, becoming heavyweight champion of the Far Western Conference.  This card completes our Phillies team set, marking it the second time I've put together a complete Phillies team set of 30 cards, with the first instance in my 1960s Phillies baseball card binder.

1965 Season
Dalrymple was back as the Phillies' regular catcher in 1965 following the September 1964 collapse.  He made 85 starts behind the plate, sharing playing time with Corrales and Gus Triandos (#248).  In 103 games overall, he batted .213 with just 14 extra base hits, including four home runs.

Phillies Career
Dalrymple played in the Braves' organization for the 1959 season, and was left unprotected in that offseason's rule 5 draft.  Selected by the Phillies in the draft on November 30, 1959, Dalrymple began the 1960 season as back-up to regular catcher Jimmie Coker (#192).  He'd take over the position full-time in 1961, making the first of five opening day starts behind the plate, with his streak broken in 1966 by Uecker.  As mentioned above, he assumed a part-time role with the club beginning in 1966, and was dealt to the Orioles on January 20, 1969 for outfielder Ron Stone.  In 1,006 games with the Phillies over nine seasons, Dalrymple batted .234, collecting 674 hits.

1960 Topps #523

1962 Topps #434

1964 Topps #191

1968 Topps #567

1971 Topps #617

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Leaf #143
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1960-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CD

71 - Dalrymple non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/18/22.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #371 Frank Kreutzer - Washington Senators

Next Card:  #373 Curt Simmons - St. Louis Cardinals

#470 Yogi Berra - New York Mets

Lawrence Peter Berra
New York Mets
Catcher-Coach

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'7"  Weight:  185
Born:  May 12, 1925, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1943 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1946-1963, New York Mets 1965
As a Manager:  New York Yankees 1964; New York Mets 1972-1975; New York Yankees 1984-1985
Hall of Fame Induction:  1972
Died:  September 22, 2015, West Caldwell, NJ (age 90)

1982 Donruss #387

One of the best, if not the best, catchers of his era, Yogi Berra was an All-Star every year between 1948 and 1962, won MVP honors in 1951, 1954 and 1955, and was a key component in bringing 10 World Championship titles to the Yankees.  Berra is one of the most recognizable and beloved baseball figures in history.

Signed by the Yankees in 1943, Berra didn't make his debut until 1946 as he was serving in the Navy during World War II.  He earned a Purple Heart taking part in the Normandy landings.  At the end of the war, Berra quickly established himself as one of the best power hitters and defensive catchers in the majors.  Over 19 seasons, he hit .285 with 2,150 hits, 358 home runs and 1,430 RBIs.  Upon his retirement, he held the records for most plate appearances (8,359), hits, home runs, runs (1,175) and RBIs among all catchers.

Following his playing days, Berra didn't stray far from baseball, keeping busy with both the Yankees and the Mets.  He briefly managed the Yankees in 1964 before moving to the Mets as a coach between 1965 and 1971, and then as manager between 1972 and 1975.  He returned to the Yankees as a coach between 1976 and 1983, and again as manager in 1984 and 1985.  His final coaching job came with the Astros between 1986 and 1989.  The Yankees retired Berra's #8 in 1972, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  Berra and Johnny Bench were named as catchers on MLB's All-Century team in 1999.

The Donruss card above is the first card of Berra's I ever owned, and I remember thinking to myself when I pulled it from a pack back then, "Is this a real person?"

Some text for this post originally appeared on  my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set
April 25, 2022 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #587
Nearly two months passed between us adding 102 cards at the March Philly Show, and the next card added to the set, this iconic Berra card.  I placed opening bids on several Greg Morris Cards auctions on eBay at some point in mid-April and walked away.  Greg Morris Cards seemingly has a set break every other week, and the prices on some of the auctions often get out of control in my opinion.  But as I often do, I probably bid on 10 or 15 cards at the auctions' outset and then walked away until the auctions concluded.  This Berra was the only one of the cards I bid on that made it through to me at what I thought was a relatively low bid.  Once the card arrived in late April, we were down to needing just 11 more cards for the set.

In April 2022 we were attending our first Phillies games of the season.  Doug was busy with high school baseball and Ben had started to run track for his middle school.  Ben celebrated his 12th birthday, complete with a new ping pong table.  There was quite a lot going on, but I was thankful for all of it.

April 11, 2022 - Doug at the plate

April 8, 2022 - Home Opener

April 21, 2022 - Ben on the track

The Card / Mets Team Set
This is such a strange card when you fully consider the circumstances during which it was issued.  It's also the third and final player-coach card in the set, joining Warren Spahn (#205) and Nellie Fox (#485).  Berra had managed the Yankees in 1964 to the World Series, and he was dismissed following the team's loss to the Cardinals in seven games.  The Mets signed him as a player-coach on April 27, 1965, meaning Topps had to rush to get this card into packs within the set's sixth series.  Berra is clearly in Yankee pinstripes here, and the back of the card shows his full career statistics while with the Bronx Bombers.  There's a final line included for 1964, telling collectors he had been the "N.Y. Mgr." and therefore "DID NOT PLAY."  This was Berra's last appearance in a Topps flagship set until he appeared on a card in the 1973 Topps set as the Mets' manager.

1965 Season
Berra made four cameo appearances with the Mets as a player, pinch-hitting twice and catching two full and final games on May 4th against the Phillies and May 9th against the Braves.  He caught Al Jackson's (#381) complete game victory in the start against the Phillies, going 2 for 3 at the plate.  Berra was again behind the plate for Jackson's start on May 9th, but the pitcher didn't escape the third inning, allowing five runs on nine hits.  Tom Parsons (#308) was the last pitcher to throw to Berra in the ninth inning of the 8-2 loss.  He batted .222 (2 for 9) in his brief return as a player before settling in to a full time coach's job.

1948 Bowman #6

1952 Topps #191

1961 Topps #425

1974 Topps #179

1987 Topps #531

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1948 Bowman #6
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1951-1965, 1973-1975, 1984-1985, 1987
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Now #746

2,212 - Berra non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/10/22.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #469 Don Nottebart - Houston Astros

Next Card:  #471 Billy Hoeft - Detroit Tigers