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Roberto Cesar Pena
Chicago Cubs
Shortstop
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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
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