1963 Topps #537 1963 Rookie Stars
On this card: Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, Pete Rose, Al Weis
About this card
The twenty Rookie Stars cards, four players each and all titled "1963 Rookie Stars", carry the rookie class - Pete Rose on #537, Willie Stargell on #553, Tony Oliva and Ed Kranepool on #228, Rusty Staub on #544, Bill Freehan on #466 and Dave McNally on #562. Three of them (#169, #208, #544) are rookie cards for only some of the men pictured.
The story on this card
Card #537 is a high number from the seventh series of 1963 Topps. The Rookie Stars panel carries four names - Gonzalez with the Yankees, Ken McMullen of the Dodgers, Al Weis of the White Sox and Cincinnati's Pete Rose - and it is Rose's rookie card, one of the key cards in the set. Gonzalez broke camp with New York in April, returned in June when Tony Kubek and Phil Linz were hurt, and came back again in September. He debuted as a pinch-runner against Baltimore on April 11, then doubled off the bench for Whitey Ford on April 16 and scored, finishing at .192 in 14 games. Dominican infielder who broke in as the first Dominican-born Yankee in 1963 and finished with Cleveland in 1967 - a .244 hitter over five big-league seasons, a Licey institution at home, and later one of the first Dominicans to manage in the U.S. minors.
Card #537 is a seventh-series high number in the 1963 set, a Rookie Stars issue pairing McMullen with Pedro Gonzalez, Al Weis and Pete Rose - and because it doubles as Rose's rookie card, it is one of the most valuable cards in the set. McMullen opened 1963 as the Dodgers' Opening Day third baseman, hit .205 with five errors through April, was optioned to Triple-A Spokane, and returned at the end of June to play 71 games at third for a pennant winner. Ken McMullen broke in with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became Washington's regular third baseman through the late 1960s, a slick fielder who once set an American League record with eleven assists in a game and drove in a career-high 87 runs in 1969.
Card #537 is Rose's rookie card, a high number from Topps' seventh series of 1963 and one of the true keys to the set. It is a four-player Rookie Stars card, so he shares the front with Yankees infielder Pedro Gonzalez, Dodgers third baseman Ken McMullen and White Sox infielder Al Weis. Rose had made the club that spring after regular second baseman Don Blasingame pulled a groin muscle; he debuted on April 8 against the Pirates and drew a walk in his first plate appearance, then got his first hit five days later on a triple off Bob Friend. He turned 22 six days into the season, hit .273 with 101 runs, and took Rookie of the Year honors with 17 of 20 votes. Cincinnati's hometown signing who became "Charlie Hustle," the National League Rookie of the Year in 1963 and the Big Red Machine's spark plug, later baseball's all-time hits leader with 4,256 - and still not a Hall of Fame inductee.
Weis got his first extended look in 1963, appearing in 99 games as Chicago's utility infielder, 48 at second base and 27 at shortstop, backing up Nellie Fox and Ron Hansen and filling in once at third. He hit .271 and led the White Sox with 15 stolen bases. Card #537 is a seventh-series high number, and it is the key rookie card of the set: Weis shares the four-player Rookie Stars panel with Pedro Gonzalez of the Yankees, Ken McMullen of the Dodgers and Cincinnati's Pete Rose, for whom it is also a rookie card. A light-hitting White Sox and Mets utility infielder who became an unlikely 1969 World Series hero, batting .455 for the champion "Miracle Mets" and winning the Babe Ruth Award as the Series' top player.
Sources: Wikipedia (Ken McMullen) · Wikipedia (Pete Rose) · Wikipedia (Al Weis) · SABR BioProject (Ken Mcmullen) · SABR BioProject (Pete Rose) · SABR BioProject (Al Weis)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 6,179 | 1 | 30 | 427 | 1,004 | 1,278 | 1,056 | 2,269 | 114 |
| SGC | 2,470 | 1 | 13 | 69 | 171 | 278 | 466 | 1,229 | 243 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here.
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Related cards
Team cards: #247 New York Yankees, #337 Los Angeles Dodgers, #63 Cincinnati Reds, #288 Chicago White Sox
More New York Yankees cards:
- #2 1962 American League Batting Leaders
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #10 1962 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #20 Tony Kubek
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #1 1962 National League Batting Leaders
- #5 1962 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #7 1962 National League Pitching Leaders
- #9 1962 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #11 Lee Walls
- #53 Joe Moeller
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #1 1962 National League Batting Leaders
- #3 1962 National League Home Run Leaders
- #5 1962 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #7 1962 National League Pitching Leaders
- #21 Marty Keough
- #29 1963 Rookie Stars
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #2 1962 American League Batting Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #10 1962 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #16 Al Smith
- #35 John Buzhardt
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #537 card?
It is card #537 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, Pete Rose and Al Weis. The twenty Rookie Stars cards, four players each and all titled "1963 Rookie Stars", carry the rookie class - Pete Rose on #537, Willie Stargell on #553, Tony Oliva and Ed Kranepool on #228, Rusty Staub on #544, Bill Freehan on #466 and Dave McNally on #562. Three of them (#169, #208, #544) are rookie cards for only some of the men pictured.
Is 1963 Topps #537 a rookie card?
Yes - #537 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen, Pete Rose and Al Weis.
Is Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame?
No. #537 is Rose's rookie card, shared with Pedro Gonzalez, Ken McMullen and Al Weis, and it is the grail of the set - but Rose is not in the Hall of Fame.
What are the key cards in the 1963 Topps set?
The #537 Rookie Stars card, Pete Rose's rookie card, leads the set. Beside it at the top sit #200 Mickey Mantle and #540 Bob Clemente, then #300 Willie Mays, #390 Hank Aaron, #210 Sandy Koufax, #340 Yogi Berra, #472 Lou Brock, #500 Harmon Killebrew (one of the four short prints) and the Rookie Stars cards with Willie Stargell (#553) and Tony Oliva (#228). The scarce sixth and seventh series (#447-576) hold the short prints and the hardest cards to find.
Why is #537 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #512-576 - the last and scarcest run in the set. Price guides often band the highs as #523-576, but the printing break falls between #511 and #512.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, The Topps Archives, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-03.