1974 Topps #597 Rookie Shortstops - Dave Chalk / John Gamble / Pete Mackanin / Manny Trillo
On this card: Dave Chalk, John Gamble, Pete Mackanin, Manny Trillo
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
Rookie Prospects card #597 puts Chalk with the Angels beside John Gamble of the Tigers, Pete Mackanin of the Rangers and Manny Trillo of the Athletics, and is a rookie card for all four. Chalk had played 24 games in September 1973, starting 20 at shortstop. In 1974 he started 95 games at shortstop and 38 at third base. He hit .252 with 5 home runs and reached the All-Star team through a write-in campaign started by a 15-year-old fan. Angels infielder of 1973-78, a first-round pick from Texas who made the 1974 and 1975 American League All-Star teams, then moved through Texas and Oakland to the 1980 Royals. He retired with 733 hits and a .252 average.
Manager Billy Martin wanted speed in May 1973: "That's one thing Gamble can do - he can steal a base." The Tigers traded catcher Gene Lamont to Atlanta to open a roster spot for him. On May 16 Gamble pinch-ran in the 10th inning of a 5-5 game against Boston and scored the winning run on Mickey Stanley's sacrifice fly. His #597 card, printed with the Tigers, shares the four-player Rookie Prospects card with Dave Chalk (Angels), Pete Mackanin (Rangers) and Manny Trillo (Athletics), a rookie card for all four. Right-handed shortstop and pinch-runner from Reno, Nevada, who played 13 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1972 and 1973. He led the Florida State League in stolen bases in 1970 and entered the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
Mackanin played two games for Texas in 1974, both at shortstop, and had one hit in six at-bats. He had appeared in 44 games as a rookie in 1973. His Topps debut is the four-player Rookie Prospects card #597, a rookie card for all four: Dave Chalk with the Angels, John Gamble with the Tigers, Mackanin with the Rangers and Manny Trillo with the Athletics. Pete Mackanin was a utility infielder for the Rangers, Expos, Phillies and Twins from 1973 to 1981, hitting .226 in 548 games. He later managed the Pirates, Reds and Phillies, taking over Philadelphia in June 2015.
Four prospects share this rookie card: Dave Chalk with the Angels, John Gamble with the Tigers, Pete Mackanin with the Rangers and Trillo with the Athletics. In 1974 he went 5-for-33 in 21 games, spent time back in Tucson after hitting .100 in April, and scored as a pinch-runner in the ALCS against Baltimore. On October 23 he went to the Cubs with Darold Knowles and Bob Locker for Billy Williams. Manny Trillo was a Venezuelan second baseman who won three Gold Gloves, made four All-Star teams, was the 1980 NLCS MVP for the champion Phillies, and fielded 479 straight chances without an error in 1982.
Sources: Wikipedia (Dave Chalk) · Wikipedia (John Gamble) · Wikipedia (Pete Mackanin) · Wikipedia (Manny Trillo) · SABR BioProject (John Gamble) · SABR BioProject (Manny Trillo) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 226 | 5 | 63 | 123 | 24 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1974 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team cards: #114 California Angels, #94 Detroit Tigers, #184 Texas Rangers, #246 Oakland A's
More California Angels cards:
- #20 Nolan Ryan
- #37 Dave Sells
- #55 Frank Robinson
- #76 Mickey Rivers
- #101 Bobby Valentine
- #139 Aurelio Monteagudo
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #9 Mickey Lolich
- #24 John Hiller
- #48 Dick Sharon
- #72 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #115 Willie Horton
- #138 Ed Brinkman
More Texas Rangers cards:
More Oakland Athletics cards:
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #597 card?
It is card #597 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dave Chalk, John Gamble, Pete Mackanin and Manny Trillo. 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 #597 a rookie card?
Yes - #597 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Dave Chalk, John Gamble, Pete Mackanin and Manny Trillo.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.