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Rafael Radames Robles
San Diego Padres
Shortstop
Born: October 20, 1947, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Signed: Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1967 season
Major League Teams: San Diego Padres 1969-70, 1972
Died: August 13, 1998, New York, NY (age 50)
Alan Joel Santorini
San Diego Padres
Pitcher
Born: May 19, 1948, Irvington, NJ
Drafted: Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round (11th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft
Major League Teams: Atlanta Braves 1968; San Diego Padres 1969-71; St. Louis Cardinals 1971-73
Rafael Robles played in parts of three seasons for the Padres, and was the team's first batter in the franchise's inaugural game on April 8, 1969. In earning the starting shortstop nod from manager Preston Gomez (#74), Robles made the surprising jump from Single-A all the way to the majors. He reached on an error by the Astros' Joe Morgan (#35) and stole second base in that first at-bat, entering the Padres' record books as the first player in team history with a stolen base. Robles and second baseman Roberto Pena (#184) also hold the distinction of being the first all-Dominican born double play combination in major league history. Robles appeared in only six games before it became apparent the leap from Single-A to the big leagues might have come too soon. He played in 47 games for the Padres in total, between 1969 and 1972, batting .188 with a double and four stolen bases.
Al Santorini was a former first round draft pick by the Braves and after coming to the Padres in the expansion draft, he co-led the team with eight wins along with Joe Niekro (#43). Santorini was one of a trio of starting pitchers used most frequently by the Padres in 1969 along with Niekro and Clay Kirby (#637). On May 26, 1971, he started both ends of a double header for the Padres in a ruse by manager Gomez to have the Astros load the line-up in game one with left-handed batters. Santorini was relieved after one batter in the first game and pitched six innings in the second game. A trade sent him to the Cardinals in June 1971, and Santorini pitched in two and a half seasons in St. Louis. He retired in 1974 after spending time with the Cardinals and Phillies top farm teams.
Building the Set / Card #499
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
The Card /
Padres Team Set / Robles Accuracy Index +10 / Santorini Accuracy Index +10
This is the rookie card for both players. The back of the card mentions Robles was already back in the minor leagues by the time collectors were finding this card, although his inclusion in the set makes sense given he was the Padres' opening day shortstop.
Building the Set / Card #499
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 55th of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $3, which is hindsight is a steep price for this card.
The Card /
This is the rookie card for both players. The back of the card mentions Robles was already back in the minor leagues by the time collectors were finding this card, although his inclusion in the set makes sense given he was the Padres' opening day shortstop.
Accuracy Index: The card gets high marks overall since both rookies are featured in their new expansion uniforms (or at least expansion hats).
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Robles
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #592
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1969-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1971 Topps #408
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 11 in the Beckett online database as of 5/8/25.
Sources - Robles:
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Santorini
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #592
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1969-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1973 Topps #24
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 16 in the Beckett online database as of 5/11/25.
Sources - Santorini:
1969 Season - Robles
Robles was drafted by the Padres from the Giants as the 51st pick in the 1968 expansion draft held on October 14th. As mentioned above, he was the Padres' opening day shortstop, but a 2 for 20 slump over the first six games of the season earned him a demotion down to the minor leagues. With the Double-A Elmira Pioneers, Robles appeared in 128 games, batting .261 with 23 doubles.
Robles was drafted by the Padres from the Giants as the 51st pick in the 1968 expansion draft held on October 14th. As mentioned above, he was the Padres' opening day shortstop, but a 2 for 20 slump over the first six games of the season earned him a demotion down to the minor leagues. With the Double-A Elmira Pioneers, Robles appeared in 128 games, batting .261 with 23 doubles.
1969 Season - Santorini
Santorini was not included in the starting pitching rotation to open the season, getting his first start in the franchise's 10th game. He'd remain in the rotation for good following two more strong starts in late April. For the season, he was 8-14 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 games pitched and 30 starts. He threw two complete games, including a two-hit shutout on August 29th against the Expos.
Phillies Connection - Santorini
Santorini ended his professional career by pitching in 18 games for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens in 1974, then the top farm team for the Phillies. He was 5-4 with a 6.17 ERA in 70 innings pitched, making 10 starts.
Santorini was not included in the starting pitching rotation to open the season, getting his first start in the franchise's 10th game. He'd remain in the rotation for good following two more strong starts in late April. For the season, he was 8-14 with a 3.95 ERA in 32 games pitched and 30 starts. He threw two complete games, including a two-hit shutout on August 29th against the Expos.
Phillies Connection - Santorini
Santorini ended his professional career by pitching in 18 games for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens in 1974, then the top farm team for the Phillies. He was 5-4 with a 6.17 ERA in 70 innings pitched, making 10 starts.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards - Robles
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #592
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3): 1969-71
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1971 Topps #408
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 11 in the Beckett online database as of 5/8/25.
Sources - Robles:
Other Notable Baseball Cards - Santorini
First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #592
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5): 1969-73
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1973 Topps #24
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 16 in the Beckett online database as of 5/11/25.
Sources - Santorini:
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