1974 Topps #599 Rookie Pitchers - Ron Diorio / Dave Freisleben / Frank Riccelli / Greg Shanahan
On this card: Ron Diorio, Dave Freisleben, Frank Riccelli, Greg Shanahan
About this card
Cards #596-608 are the thirteen four-player Rookie Prospects cards, each titled by position. A Rookie Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #601, #603, #604, #605 and #608 one of the four had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
The story on this card
Diorio made his major league debut on August 9, 1973, in San Diego, entering with one out and runners on second and third in the Padres' sixth. He earned a save against the Cubs on September 23 and finished the year with a 2.33 ERA in 23 games; his last game came on April 7, 1974. Rookie Prospects #599, a rookie card for Diorio, Dave Freisleben, Frank Riccelli and Greg Shanahan, is one of fifteen Padres cards that were corrected in later pressings after first appearing with Washington Nat'l Lea. Ron Diorio was a 6-foot-6 right-handed reliever from Waterbury, Connecticut, who pitched 25 games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1973 and 1974 after being named an All-American at New Haven College.
Freisleben was called up early in 1974 and beat Steve Carlton and the Phillies 6-2 in his debut. He finished 9-14 with a 3.66 ERA, two shutouts and six complete games, and once held the Reds scoreless for 13 innings in a no-decision. His rookie card is #599, a four-player Rookie Prospects card shared with Ron Diorio (Phillies), Frank Riccelli (Giants) and Greg Shanahan (Dodgers); he is printed with the Padres. Dave Freisleben was a right-handed starter for San Diego from 1974 until a 1978 trade to Cleveland, then relieved for Toronto before his release after 1979. He finished 34-60 with a 4.30 ERA and later guided fishing trips on Galveston Bay.
Topps pictured Riccelli with the Giants on #599, the four-player Rookie Prospects card, a rookie card for each of the four. Ron Diorio is shown with the Phillies, Dave Freisleben with the Padres and Greg Shanahan with the Dodgers. Topps made fifteen Padres cards as a contingency while a move was pending, printing the team as Washington Nat'l Lea. Ray Kroc's January 1974 purchase kept the team in San Diego, so #599 exists in that Washington printing and in corrected San Diego Padres versions in large and small print. Left-handed pitcher from Syracuse, New York, who debuted with the Giants in September 1976 and pitched for the Astros in 1978 and 1979. A start in 1979 led to Tommy John surgery, and he later pitched in the Senior Professional Baseball Association.
Shanahan appeared in four games for the Dodgers in 1974, pitching 7 innings with a 3.86 ERA. His rookie card is #599, a Rookie Prospects card that was also the rookie card for Ron Diorio (Phillies), Dave Freisleben (Padres) and Frank Riccelli (Giants). Topps first printed the Padres line on that card as "Washington Nat'l Lea." as a contingency for the planned move. After Ray Kroc's January 1974 purchase kept the club in San Diego, the card was reissued with "San Diego Padres" in both large and small print. Greg Shanahan was a right-handed pitcher from Eureka, California, who pitched 11 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1973 and 1974. He earned a save on the final day of the 1973 season, a 3-2 win over the Padres.
Sources: Wikipedia (Ron Diorio) · Wikipedia (Dave Freisleben) · Wikipedia (Frank Riccelli) · Wikipedia (Greg Shanahan) · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Print variations
Three states of #599 are tracked individually: 599a - San Diego Padres (Large Print), 599b - Washington Nat'l Lea. and 599c - San Diego Padres (Small Print). The difference is on the front of the card (error correction + print size).
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
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Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 599a - San Diego Padres (Large Print) | |||||||||
| PSA | 211 | 7 | 58 | 90 | 36 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 599b - Washington Nat'l Lea. | |||||||||
| PSA | 460 | 13 | 151 | 195 | 36 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| SGC | 21 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 599c - San Diego Padres (Small Print) | |||||||||
| PSA | 155 | 0 | 7 | 42 | 47 | 35 | 13 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Not designated by SGC | |||||||||
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. Where a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation; SGC slabs whose label names no variation are listed as not designated, while PSA slabs whose label names no variation are counted under 599a - San Diego Padres (Large Print).
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Related cards
Team cards: #383 Philadelphia Phillies, #226 San Diego Padres, #281 San Francisco Giants, #643 Los Angeles Dodgers
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #23 Craig Robinson
- #47 Dick Ruthven
- #69 Del Unser
- #95 Steve Carlton
- #119 Phillies Field Leaders
- #131 Bob Boone
More San Diego Padres cards:
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #18 Gary Thomasson
- #30 Bobby Bonds
- #54 Elias Sosa
- #78 Giants Field Leaders
- #104 Ron Bryant
- #129 Chris Speier
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #42 Claude Osteen
- #64 Doug Rau
- #86 Joe Ferguson
- #112 Dave Lopes
- #127 Tom Paciorek
- #144 Dodgers Field Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #599 card?
It is card #599 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Diorio, Dave Freisleben, Frank Riccelli and Greg Shanahan. Cards #596-608 are the thirteen four-player Rookie Prospects cards, each titled by position. A Rookie Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #601, #603, #604, #605 and #608 one of the four had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
Is 1974 Topps #599 a rookie card?
Yes - #599 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Ron Diorio, Dave Freisleben, Frank Riccelli and Greg Shanahan.
Why do some checklists show only two versions of #599?
Because they do not split the two San Diego printings. The Trading Card Database and PSA list three - "Washington Nat'l Lea.", and "San Diego Padres" in large or small type: in large type the "S" lines up with the "N" in Freisleben, in small type with the "B". Cardboard Connection's variation table and KeyMan Collectibles list two.
What are the key cards in the 1974 Topps set?
#1 Hank Aaron: New All-Time Home Run King, #20 Nolan Ryan and #456 Dave Winfield (his rookie card, the headline rookie of the set) are the headline cards. The set's signature variation is #599 1974 Rookie Pitchers, the only card in the set with three printings - one "Washington Nat'l Lea." and two San Diego. Among the Washington cards, PSA names #241 Glenn Beckert and #250 Willie McCovey as its examples. The set was issued all at once and printed in equal quantities, so it has no high-number or short-print run.
Does 1974 Topps #599 have variations?
Yes. Three states are catalogued and tracked individually: 599a - San Diego Padres (Large Print) ("San Diego Padres" in large type - the "S" lines up with the "N" in Freisleben. One of the two San Diego reprints and the base state here; which San Diego printing is scarcer is not settled), 599b - Washington Nat'l Lea. (The "Washington Nat'l Lea." printing, the first of the three and the only Washington card numbered above #400. On the other Washington cards it is the scarce side, but one collector's account calls the Washington #599 far more available than its San Diego reprints, so its scarcity is unsettled) and 599c - San Diego Padres (Small Print) ("San Diego Padres" in small type - the "S" lines up with the "B" in Freisleben. The other San Diego reprint; which San Diego printing is scarcer is not settled). Owning any one of them fills the #599 slot; the master set counts each state.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-25.