1975 Topps #624 1975 Rookie Pitchers
One of the eleven four-player rookie cards (#614-624).
About this card
Cards #614-624 are the multi-player Rookie cards, four prospects to a card grouped by position - the run that carries the Rice, Carter, Lynn and Hernandez rookies.
About the players on this card
Doug Konieczny
Douglas James Konieczny pitched all four of his big-league seasons for the Houston Astros between 1973 and 1977. A right-hander out of St. Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan, he was drafted by Detroit in the 23rd round in 1969 but didn't sign, then went to Houston in the first round of the January 1971 secondary draft after a season at St. Clair County Community College. He debuted September 11, 1973, working six innings against San Diego, and got his only full season in 1975, starting 29 games and going 6-13 with a 4.47 ERA. That season put him on the 1975 Topps set's card No. 624, a four-player Rookie Pitchers card — his only true rookie card. Konieczny closed his career in 1977, finishing 7-18 with a 4.93 ERA and 110 strikeouts over 44 games, his last outing coming April 30 against Pittsburgh.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Gary Lavelle
Gary Lavelle was a hard-throwing left-handed reliever who spent 13 major league seasons, the first eleven with the San Francisco Giants. San Francisco drafted him in the 20th round of the 1967 draft out of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and after eight seasons in the minors he debuted in September 1974. He appears as a rookie on 1975 Topps card #624, a four-player "Rookie Pitchers" issue shared with Doug Konieczny, Jim Otten, and Eddie Solomon, his recognized rookie card. Lavelle became the workhorse of the Giants' bullpen and still ranks as the franchise's all-time leader in games pitched (647) and games finished (369). A two-time National League All-Star, in 1977 and 1983, he posted a career-best 2.05 ERA that first All-Star season and finished with 136 career saves. He was also a charter member of the Giants' "God Squad," the club's group of Christian players in the late 1970s. He retired in 1987 after brief stops with Toronto and Oakland, later coaching high school and college baseball in Virginia.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Jim Otten
Right-hander James Edward Otten was born July 1, 1951, in Lewistown, Montana, and starred at Arizona State University before the Chicago White Sox took him in the second round of the 1973 draft. He debuted July 31, 1974, after going 13-5 across the White Sox' top two farm clubs that year, working five games for Chicago that season before making brief relief appearances in 1975 and 1976. Traded to the St. Louis organization in December 1977, he resurfaced in the majors in 1980 and worked 55 games for the Cardinals over two seasons. His only big-league win came May 14, 1981, a scoreless eighth inning against Houston that set up a four-run Cardinals rally and a Bruce Sutter save. Otten finished 1-6 with a 5.46 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings across 64 games, all but five in relief. His 1975 Topps Rookie Pitchers card, #624, is a recognized rookie card shared with Doug Konieczny, Gary Lavelle, and Eddie Solomon.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Eddie Solomon
Eddie Solomon Jr., known as "Buddy J" — a childhood nickname from Perry and Warner Robins, Georgia that he asked Atlanta teammates and broadcasters to keep using once he reached the majors — pitched ten big-league seasons for six clubs. The Dodgers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1969, and after five years in the system he debuted in 1973, later sharing Topps' 1975 "Rookie Pitchers" card (#624, with Doug Konieczny, Gary Lavelle, and Jim Otten), a recognized rookie card for the right-hander. Traded to the Cubs, then the Cardinals, then the Braves in 1977, he earned a full-time rotation spot in 1979, setting career highs with 30 starts, 186 innings, and 96 strikeouts. His finest work came as a Pirates swingman in 1980–81, going 15-9 with a 2.93 ERA across 227⅓ innings. Solomon finished 36-42 with a 4.00 ERA in 191 games before his release in 1982. He died in a car accident near Macon, Georgia, in January 1986, at age 34.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 289 | 4 | 50 | 153 | 40 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #624 card?
It is card #624 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Doug Konieczny, Gary Lavelle, Jim Otten, Eddie Solomon. Cards #614-624 are the multi-player Rookie cards, four prospects to a card grouped by position - the run that carries the Rice, Carter, Lynn and Hernandez rookies.
Is 1975 Topps #624 a rookie card?
Yes - #624 is a rookie card. Topps grouped four prospects on each card in the 1975 Rookies run, so the rookie designation covers every player pictured: Doug Konieczny, Gary Lavelle, Jim Otten, Eddie Solomon.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-10-05.