1976 Topps #597 Rookie Pitchers - Don Aase / Jack Kucek / Frank LaCorte / Mike Pazik
On this card: Don Aase, Jack Kucek, Frank LaCorte, Mike Pazik
Uncorrected error: The photo meant for LaCorte actually shows Preston Hanna.
About this card
Cards #589-599 are the eleven four-player Rookie Prospects cards. A Rookie Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #590, #593, #597 and #598 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
Aase spent 1976 at Pawtucket, which played that one year as the Rhode Island Red Sox, and won his first four games, including a one-hitter, before elbow soreness ended his season early. His card is #597 in the Rookie Prospects subset, shared with Jack Kucek (White Sox), Frank LaCorte (Braves) and Mike Pazik (Twins), with Aase printed as a Red Sox. It is the rookie card for Aase, LaCorte and Pazik, and the photo labeled LaCorte is actually Preston Hanna. Don Aase, a right-hander who pitched from 1977 to 1990 for five clubs, won 66 games and saved 82. He won the first postseason game in Angels history in 1979 and saved the 1986 All-Star Game while setting an Orioles record of 34 saves.
Kucek pitched in relief twice for the White Sox in 1976, working 4 2/3 innings with a 9.64 ERA. His card is #597, a four-player Rookie Prospects panel that pairs him with Don Aase of the Red Sox, Frank LaCorte of the Braves and Mike Pazik of the Twins. The photo labeled LaCorte is actually Preston Hanna, an uncorrected error. Aase, LaCorte and Pazik are the three rookie cards on the panel. Right-hander from Warren, Ohio, who pitched for the White Sox, Phillies and Blue Jays from 1974 to 1980. A 1974 second-round pick out of Miami University, he went 7-16 with a 5.12 ERA over 59 games and 27 starts.
LaCorte made 17 starts for Atlanta in 1976 and went 3-12 with a 4.70 ERA. Topps put him on #597, a four-player Rookie Prospects card shared with Don Aase of the Red Sox, Jack Kucek of the White Sox and Mike Pazik of the Twins. The card is a rookie card for LaCorte, and its photo of him is actually Preston Hanna, an error never corrected. Right-hander for the Braves, Astros and Angels from 1975 to 1984. Converted to relief in Houston, he went 8-5 with a 2.82 ERA and 11 saves in 1980 and won Game 2 of that year's NLCS, the Astros' first postseason win.
Pazik made the Twins' opening day roster in 1976 after an 0-4 debut season, then went back to the minors after five relief outings totaling 9 innings, 6 strikeouts and a 7.00 ERA. He shares #597 with Don Aase of the Red Sox, Jack Kucek of the White Sox and Frank LaCorte of the Braves; Pazik is shown with Minnesota. The card is a rookie card for Aase, LaCorte and Pazik, and the photo labeled LaCorte is actually Preston Hanna. Mike Pazik was a left-hander from Lynn, Massachusetts, who went 1-4 in 13 games for the Twins from 1975 to 1977; a 1977 van crash broke both legs and ended his big-league career. He later served as White Sox pitching coach from 1995 to 1998.
Sources: Wikipedia (Don Aase) · Wikipedia (Jack Kucek) · Wikipedia (Frank LaCorte) · Wikipedia (Mike Pazik) · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 195 | 20 | 109 | 47 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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.
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Related cards
Team cards: #118 Boston Red Sox Team, #656 Chicago White Sox Team, #631 Atlanta Braves Team, #556 Minnesota Twins Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1976 Topps #597 card?
It is card #597 of the 660-card 1976 Topps Baseball set, a four-player 1976 Rookie Pitchers card naming Don Aase, Jack Kucek, Frank LaCorte and Mike Pazik - but the photograph identified as Frank LaCorte shows Preston Hanna.
Is 1976 Topps #597 a rookie card?
Yes - #597 is the rookie card of Don Aase, Frank LaCorte and Mike Pazik. Jack Kucek had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
Does 1976 Topps #597 have an error?
The photo meant for LaCorte actually shows Preston Hanna. It was never corrected, so there is no variation to chase - every copy of #597 reads the same way.
How many cards are in the 1976 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and printed in equal quantities as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
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.