#249 Ed Spiezio - San Diego Padres

Edward Wayne Spiezio
San Diego Padres
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  October 31, 1941, Joliet, IL
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1964-68; San Diego Padres 1969-72; Chicago White Sox 1972

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1967-68

Ed Spiezio was a back-up infielder on the 1964 and 1967 World Champion Cardinals and later was the first third baseman in Padres franchise history.  Spiezio was used primarily as either a defensive replacement at third base or as a pinch-hitter during his five seasons with the Cardinals.  In one of the earliest trades in Padres history, he was acquired from the Cardinals with three other players on December 3, 1968 for pitcher Dave Giusti (#98).  He was the opening day third baseman for the Padres, collecting the team's first hit, home run and run when he connected on April 8, 1969, against Astros' pitcher Don Wilson (#202) in the fifth inning of the team's home opener.  Spiezio appeared in a career-high 121 games that season, batting .234 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.  For his career, Spiezio batted .238 with 39 home runs and 174 RBIs, collecting 367 hits.  His son, Scott Spiezio, played for 12 seasons in the majors with the Athletics, Angels, Mariners and Cardinals between 1996 and 2007.  Scott Spiezio won two World Series rings himself, with the Angels in 2002 and with the Cardinals in 2006.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #552
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)

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 spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, and after adding a few more star cards, the remaining cash I had was starting to burn a hole in my wallet.  I had noticed the common/semi-star boxes at the tables of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles, and I found 14 more cards for our 1969 Topps set and six cards for our not-yet-officially collecting 1959 Topps set.  This is the seventh of those 14 cards.  After the obligatory dealer discount, I handed over the last of my cash, and we exited the show for the drive home.

The Card / 

Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Spiezio is wearing a navy blue Cardinals hat here, with the logo covered over.  The photo could have been taken at the same time as the photo used for his 1967 Topps card.  The cartoon oddly highlights his spring training statistics from 1965.  And the write-up is incorrect as Spiezio was acquired via trade and not through the expansion draft.  The three other players shipped from St. Louis to San Diego with Spiezio were Philip Knuckles, Danny Breeden (#536) and Ron Davis (#553).

Accuracy Index:  Spiezio's card scores the somewhat standard -8 for cards in the low series of the set.

1969 Season
Spiezio made 92 starts at third base for the Padres in their inaugural season and was their starting left fielder on the final day of the season.  On August 6th, he hit a walk-off home run off Steve Carlton (#255), as the Padres defeated the Cardinals, 3-2.  As mentioned above, this was the season Spiezio saw the most action in the majors, but he'd enjoy a career year in 1970, batting .285 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs.

1965 Topps #431

1967 Topps #128

1968 Topps #349

1970 Topps #718

1972 Topps #504

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #431
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1965, 1967-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #504
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  30 in the Beckett online database as of 8/17/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#248 Bob Priddy - Chicago White Sox / #250 Frank Robinson - Baltimore Orioles

#637 Padres Rookie Stars - Jerry DaVanon / Frank Reberger / Clay Kirby

Frank Gerald DaVanon
San Diego Padres
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  August 21, 1945, Oceanside, CA
Drafted:  Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (17th pick) of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams:  San Diego Padres 1969; St. Louis Cardinals 1969-70; Baltimore Orioles 1971; California Angels 1973; St. Louis Cardinals 1974; Houston Astros 1975-76; St. Louis Cardinals 1977

Frank Beall Reberger
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  200
Born:  June 7, 1944, Caldwell, ID
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 21, 1966
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1968; San Diego Padres 1969; San Francisco Giants 1970-72

Clayton Laws Kirby
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 25, 1948, Washington, DC
Drafted:  Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams:  San Diego Padres 1969-73; Cincinnati Reds 1974-75; Montreal Expos 1976

Died:  October 11, 1991, Arlington, VA (age 43)

Originally drafted by the Cardinals, Jerry DaVanon would be left unprotected by his original team in the 1968 expansion draft, but he'd be acquired by the Cardinals via trade an unprecedented three times between 1969 and 1976.  DaVanon made the Padres' opening day roster and was briefly their starting shortstop before a slump and subsequent trade to the Cardinals (for the first time).  Never quite a regular in the majors, DaVanon bounced around between the minor and major leagues throughout his 12-year playing career.  He'd see the most action with the Astros in 1976, appearing in 61 games and batting a carer-best .290 with 20 RBIs.  DaVanon made 25 starts that season at second base, shortstop and third base.  His final action in the majors came during his fourth and final stint within the Cardinals organization, when he appeared in nine games for the club early in the 1977 season.  In 262 big league games, DaVanon batted .234 with three home runs and 50 RBIs.

Frank Reberger enjoyed a cup of coffee with the Cubs in 1968 before being selected by the Padres in the expansion draft, and becoming the new team's most frequently used reliever in their first season.  Reberger pitched in 67 games for the Padres, tops on the club in terms of appearances, with Billy McCool (#129) having the second most relief appearances with 54.  Reberger had six saves that year, second only to McCool's seven.  Dealt to the Giants following his only season in San Diego, Reberger pitched in parts of three seasons in San Francisco, but never repeated the success he had in 1969.  He'd spend the 1973 and 1974 seasons with the Giants' Triple-A team in Phoenix before retiring and beginning a coaching career.  Reberger was 14-15 with a 4.52 ERA in 148 big league games, earning eight saves.  He was on the major league coaching staffs of the Angels (1991) and Marlins (1993-94), and coached in the minor and independent leagues until the early 2000s.

Taken by the Cardinals two rounds after the team had selected DaVanon in the 1966 draft, Clay Kirby, like DaVanon, was left unprotected by the Cardinals and selected by the Padres in the 1968 expansion draft.  He'd lose a league-leading 20 games in 1969, but solidifying himself as a workhorse in the Padres' pitching rotation over their first four years.  Kirby pitched at least 214 innings every year between 1969 and 1972, winning at least 10 games in the latter three seasons.  His 15 wins in 1971 led the team, who went 61-100 overall.  Kirby's best season came in 1972 when he was 12-14 with a 3.13 ERA in 34 starts, throwing nine complete games and a pair of shutouts.  Dealt to the Reds following the 1973 season, Kirby would join the Big Red Machine's pitching rotation, helping the club to a World Championship in 1975.  He'd last appear in the majors with the Expos in 1976.  Lifetime, Kirby was 75-104 with a 3.84 ERA and 1,061 strikeouts in 1,548 innings pitched.

Building the Set / Card #526
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 82nd of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than $3.

The Card / 

Padres Team Set

DaVanon Accuracy Index +10 / Reberger Accuracy Index +10 / Kirby Accuracy Index +10
This is the rookie card of all three players, and Topps did a nice job making sure these three appeared late in the set, given their inclusion on the Padres' opening day roster.   There's nothing on the back of the card other than a line for each player's minor league statistics.

Accuracy Index:  I'll give DaVanon the benefit of the doubt, and assume he's wearing a Padres hat here, and not some other team's brown hat.  All three players score a high score of +10 for their expansion uniforms.

1969 Season - DaVanon
DaVanon was the 24th pick in the 1968 expansion draft, and he made his big league debut on April 11th as a pinch-hitter in the Padres' fourth ever game.  (This was also Kirby's first start and big league debut.)  In 24 games with the Padres, DaVanon batted .136 with a double, and on May 22nd, he was traded back to the Cardinals with Bill Davis (#304) for Sonny Ruberto and John Sipin.  With the Cardinals, DaVanon appeared in 16 games as a September call-up, batting .300 (12 for 40) with three doubles and a home run.  Most of his season was spent as member of the Triple-A Tulsa Oilers, where he batted .281 in 79 games.

1971 Topps #32

1976 Topps #551

1977 Topps #283

Other Notable Baseball Cards - DaVanon
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #637
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1969, 1971, 1976-77
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1977 Topps #283
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  13 in the Beckett online database as of 6/13/25.

Sources - DaVanon:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1969 Season - Reberger
Reberger was a workhorse for Preston Gomez's (#74) Padres team, relieving in 67 games and pitching 87 2/3 innings.  He was 1-2 with a 3.59 ERA and the aforementioned six saves.  On December 5th, Reberger was traded to the Giants for Bob Barton (#41), Bobby Etheridge (#604) and Ron Herbel (#251).

1969 Season - Kirby
When the season started, Kirby slotted in fourth in the Padres' starting pitching rotation, behind Dick Selma (#197), Johnny Podres (#659) and Dick Kelley (#359).  Kirby made 35 starts for the team, more than any other pitcher in their inaugural season, and went 7-20 with a 3.80 ERA.  Kirby threw 215 2/3 innings, and had two complete games.  He led the Padres in innings pitched and strikeouts with 113.

1970 Topps #103

1971 Topps #251

1972 Topps #548

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Reberger
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #637
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1969-72
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1972 Topps #548
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  26 in the Beckett online database as of 6/13/25.

Sources - Reberger:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Kirby
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #637
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1969-76
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1976 Topps Traded #579T
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  38 in the Beckett online database as of 6/13/25.

Sources - Kirby:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1970 Topps #79

1971 Topps #333

1972 Topps #174

1975 Topps #423

1976 Topps Traded #579T

#636 Woodie Held - Chicago White Sox / #638 Ed Sprague - Oakland Athletics

#617 Jesse Gonder - San Diego Padres

Jesse Lamar Gonder
San Diego Padres
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 20, 1936, Monticello, AR
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Redlegs as an amateur free agent before 1955 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1960-61; Cincinnati Reds 1962-63; New York Mets 1963-65; Milwaukee Braves 1965; Pittsburgh Pirates 1966-67

Died:  November 14, 2004, Oakland, CA (age 68)

Originally drafted by the Reds, Jesse Gonder began his big league career with the Yankees after a March 1960 trade sent him to the Bronx.  He'd appear in 22 games for the Yankees in 1960 and 1961 before being traded back to Cincinnati in December 1961.  In 1962, Gonder would enjoy the best season of his professional career, as a member of the Triple-A San Diego Padres, then the Reds' top farm team.  He led the Pacific Coast League in batting (.342) and RBIs (116) and was named the league's most valuable player.  He'd spend the next four seasons exclusively in the majors, serving as a back-up catcher and pinch-hitter for the Mets, Braves and Pirates.  Gonder appeared in a career-high 131 games in 1964 for the Mets, starting 82 games behind the plate and entering 47 games as a pinch-hitter.  He hit .270 that season, reaching major league career high totals with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

Gonder last appeared in the majors in 1967 with the Pirates, but he'd play two more seasons after that in the Braves, Angels and Giants organizations before retiring.  In 1969, he made the opening day roster of the expansion Padres, but was released by the club before appearing in a game.  In 395 games, Gonder batted .251 with 26 home runs and 94 RBIs.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #513
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 69th of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me a little less than $1.50.

The Card / 

Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -16

Gonder is likely wearing a Mets uniform here, and as mentioned above, he never actually appeared in a game for the Padres.  The back of the card highlights his career minor league successes.

Accuracy Index:  Gonder is the first -16 scored card I've added in a little while.  He loses points for the Mets jersey (-5), the lack of a visible logo on his hat (-3), not playing for the Padres in 1969 (-2), or ever (-6).

1969 Season
Manager Preston Gomez (#74) invited Gonder to Padres' spring training, and he made the club's opening day roster, but as mentioned above, he was released before appearing in a game.  Gonder was set to back-up Chris Cannizzaro (#131), but the job initially went to Chris Krug instead.  Gonder played in 27 games for the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants in Phoenix before calling it a career.

1963 Topps #29

1964 Topps #457

1965 Topps #423

1966 Topps #528

1967 Topps #301

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #29
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1963-67, 1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA The 1960s I #238
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  44 in the Beckett online database as of 5/25/25.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#616 Don McMahon - Detroit Tigers / #618 Ramon Webster - Oakland Athletics

#592 Padres Rookie Stars - Rafael Robles / Al Santorini

Rafael Radames Robles
San Diego Padres
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
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

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
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.

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 / 

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.

Accuracy Index:  The card gets high marks overall since both rookies are featured in their new expansion uniforms (or at least expansion hats). 

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.

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.

1970 Topps #573

1971 Topps #408

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:  

Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

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:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1970 Topps #212

1971 Topps #467

1972 Topps #723

1973 Topps #24

#591 Mike Hedlund - Kansas City Royals / #593 Don Nottebart - Chicago Cubs

#536 Padres Rookie Stars - Danny Breeden / Dave Roberts

Danny Richard Breeden
San Diego Padres
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right Height:  5'11"  Weight:  185
Born:  June 27, 1942, Albany, GA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent, May 25, 1963
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1969; Chicago Cubs 1971

David Arthur Roberts
San Diego Padres
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left Height:  6'3"  Weight:  195
Born:  September 11, 1944, Gallipolis, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, June 11, 1963
Major League Teams:  San Diego Padres 1969-71; Houston Astros 1972-75; Detroit Tigers 1976-77; Chicago Cubs 1977-78; San Francisco Giants 1979; Pittsburgh Pirates 1979-80; Seattle Mariners 1980; New York Mets 1981

Died:  January 9, 2009, Short Gap, WV (age 64)

Danny Breeden played professionally for 11 seasons, getting brief call-ups to the majors in 1969 with the Reds and in 1971 with the Cubs.  Originally drafted by the Cardinals, Breeden was frequently on the move throughout the 1960s, having two stints with the Cardinals' organization, and spending time in the minor league systems of the Cubs, Padres and Reds.  Before his playing career was over, Breeden would have repeat stints with both the Cubs and Padres.  He appeared in 11 games in 1969, catching all three games of a series against the Mets as Johnny Bench (#95) was not available.  Breeden's next major league action came in 1971, when he played in 25 games for the Cubs.  In 28 big league games, he batted .151 (11 for 73) with a double and five RBIs.  His younger brother, Hal Breeden, played for Cubs (1971) and Expos (1972-75).

Dave Roberts pitched in parts of 13 major league seasons, enjoying a career year in 1971 with the Padres and earning a World Series ring with the Pirates in 1979.  Roberts joined the Padres' bullpen half-way through their inaugural season.  Eventually converted to a starting pitcher, he was 14-17 with a 2.10 ERA in 1971, the second lowest mark in the league.  He'd finish sixth in the 1971 Cy Young Award voting.  Roberts was dealt to the Astros following that year, and he'd have a period of stability in Houston, spending four seasons with the club.  He was a 17-game winner in 1973.  Roberts continued to be effective throughout the 1970s, and was the Tigers' opening day starter in 1977.  In June 1979, Roberts, Bill Madlock and Lenny Randle were traded from the Giants to the Pirates.  Roberts would pitch in 21 games for Pittsburgh on their way to a National League pennant, but he did not appear in the World Series.  In 445 games, Roberts was 103-125 with a 3.78 ERA, and 957 strikeouts in 2,099 innings pitched.

1970 Topps #36

Building the Set / Card #461
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 17th of 98 commons pulled from the binder.  After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / 

Padres Team Set / Breeden Accuracy Index +2 / Roberts Accuracy Index +10
This is the rookie card for both players.  The final sentence on the back for both indicates Breeden and Roberts began the season with the Triple-A Elmira Pioneers, the shared Double-A team for the Padres and the Royals.  Roberts would earn a promotion later in the year, but Breeden would not.

Accuracy Index:  Breeden scores an unusual +2.  He's wearing an expansion uniform (+10), but he didn't play with the Padres in 1969 (-2) or ever (-6).  Roberts hits the +10 high score.

1969 Season - Breeden
On December 3, 1968, the Cardinals dealt Breeden, Philip Knuckles, Ron Davis (#553) and Ed Spiezio (#249) to the Padres for Dave Giusti (#98).  Breeden would start the season with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, and was sold to the Reds on June 30th.  With Bench unavailable for the Mets series in late July, Breeden started all three games, going 1 for 8 at the plate.

1969 Season - Roberts
Roberts made his major league debut with the Padres on July 6th.  He'd pitch in 22 games, making five starts, and was 0-3 with a 4.81 ERA in 48 2/3 innings pitched.

Phillies Connection - Roberts
Roberts was drafted by the Phillies in 1963, and selected off waivers by the Pirates on April 6, 1964.  He pitched relatively well in his 18 games for the Spartanburg Phillies in 1963, going 9-3 with a 1.79 ERA.  He made 17 starts, with 10 of those starts complete games, including three shutouts.  Roberts was invited to Phillies' spring training camp in 1964, but the team gambled on not protecting him in the first year player draft.  The gamble failed, and Roberts would go on to pitch in parts of 13 years in the majors.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Breeden
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #536
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1969-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1970 Topps #36
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  7 in the Beckett online database as of 2/9/25.

Sources - Breeden:  

Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Roberts
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #536
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1969-81
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 Topps #57
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  62 in the Beckett online database as of 2/9/25.

Sources - Roberts:  

Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

1970 Topps #151

1973 Topps #39

1977 Topps #363

1980 Topps #212

1981 Topps #57

#535 Phil Regan - Chicago Cubs / #537 Mike Paul - Cleveland Indians