Wednesday, October 9, 2024

#404 Cubs Rookie Stars - Vic LaRose / Gary Ross


Victor Raymond LaRose
Chicago Cubs
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  December 23, 1944, Los Angeles, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent, June 28, 1963
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1968
Died:  October 13, 2011, Phoenix, AZ (age 66)

Gary Douglas Ross
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  September 16, 1947, McKeesport, PA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 1967 amateur draft (January Secondary), January 28, 1967
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1968-69; San Diego Padres 1969-74; California Angels 1975-77

Originally signed by the Angels, Vic LaRose played professionally for eight seasons within the Angels, Cubs and Braves systems.  He joined the Cubs' organization in 1968 and after a successful campaign with the Triple-A Tacoma Cubs, LaRose was a September call-up.  He'd appear in four games with the Cubs, earning a start on September 14th against the Phillies, and giving regular Don Kessinger (#225) one of only five days' off all season.  LaRose was 0 for 2 with a strikeout in three plate appearances.  He continued to play in the minor leagues through the 1970 season.

Drafted by the Cubs in 1967, Gary Ross appeared in 15 games with the team before being dealt to the Padres and spending six seasons in San Diego.  Ross loss 11 straight decisions with the expansion Padres in 1969 and was one the team's more frequently used relievers.  He'd find steady work out of the Padres' bullpen through the early 1970s, having a strong year in 1972 with a 2.45 ERA over 60 appearances and 91 2/3 innings pitched.  Traded to the Angels following the 1974 season, Ross was converted to a full-time starter after spending almost all of 1975 in the minor leagues.  In 1976, he was 8-16 with a 3.00 ERA in 34 games, for the Angels, striking out an even 100 over 225 innings pitched.  Both totals were far and away his career highs.  Ross would pitch in part of the 1977 season before his career ended.  In 283 games, he was 25-47 with a 3.92 ERA.

Building the Set / 
Card #367
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 75th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me a little over $1.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / LaRose Accuracy Index -10 / P2 Accuracy Index +5
Other than a card in the 1966 Seattle Angels Popcorn team set, this is LaRose's only baseball card appearance.  Ross would go on to sporadically appear in Topps sets until 1978.

Accuracy Index:  LaRose didn't play for the Cubs in 1969 (-2), and he's shown wearing a mystery jersey (-5) with a blank hat (-3).  Ross earns a rare +5 for a player featured on a Rookie Stars card.

1969 Season - LaRose
LaRose spent the entire season back with the Tacoma Cubs.  With Kessinger hardly ever taking a day off, and Paul Popovich (#47) on the bench as his back-up, there was no need for LaRose to be promoted.  In 76 games in Tacoma, he batted .262 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 17 RBIs.  On December 2nd, his contract was sold to the Braves.
1969 Season - Ross
Ross appeared in two games for the Cubs before he, Frankie Libran and Joe Niekro (#43) were dealt to the Padres for Dick Selma (#197).  With the Padres, he was used primarily out of the bullpen and went 0-11 with a pair of blown saves between May 4th and August 20th.  He'd finish out the season strong, winning a pair of games over the final month.  For the season, including his early games with the Cubs, Ross was 3-12 with a 4.35 ERA in 48 games and 111 2/3 innings pitched.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - LaRose

First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #404
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #404
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  3 in the Beckett online database as of 9/5/24.

Sources - LaRose:  

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Ross

First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #404
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1969-71, 1973, 1977-78
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 Topps #291
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  21 in the Beckett online database as of 9/5/24.

Sources - Ross:  
1970 Topps #694
1971 Topps #153
1973 Topps #112
1977 Topps #544
1978 Topps #291

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