1979 Topps #704 White Sox Prospects - Ross Baumgarten / Mike Colbern / Mike Squires
On this card: Ross Baumgarten, Mike Colbern, Mike Squires
About this card
Cards #701-726 are the 26 three-player Prospects cards, one per club - AL clubs first, each league in alphabetical order by city - with black-and-white player photos on the front. A Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card. On #703, #705, #712, #718 and #723, one or two of the players never reached the major leagues.
The story on this card
Baumgarten won his first four decisions of 1979 and finished 13-8 with a 3.54 ERA and three shutouts, and was voted to the 1979 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. On May 25 he allowed only a Bobby Grich hit over eight innings against California. His #704 is the Chicago White Sox Prospects card he shares with Mike Colbern and Mike Squires, a rookie card for all three men. Left-handed starter for the White Sox from 1978 to 1981 and the Pirates in 1982, 22-36 with a 4.02 ERA. He threw a 1-0 one-hitter against the Angels on July 2, 1980, and later coached at New Trier High School.
Colbern batted .270 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI in 48 White Sox games in 1978. His rookie card was part of Chicago's Prospects trio on 1979 Topps #704, shared with Ross Baumgarten and Mike Squires. He caught in 32 games for Chicago in 1979. Before his July 18, 1978 debut, White Sox catcher Mike Colbern hit .283 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI in the minors. He went 1-for-4 against Milwaukee that day.
Squires hit .280 with 19 RBI in 46 games for Chicago in 1978. Topps placed his rookie card in the 1979 White Sox Prospects group, #704, with Ross Baumgarten and Mike Colbern. He expanded his role in 1979, playing 122 games and stealing 15 bases. White Sox first baseman Mike Squires caught the ninth inning against Milwaukee on May 4, 1980. The left-handed thrower replaced Bruce Kimm, then caught again against Kansas City 3 days later.
Sources: Wikipedia (Ross Baumgarten) · Wikipedia (Mike Colbern) · Wikipedia (Mike Squires) · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference (Mike Squires) · MLB.com · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 120 | 19 | 69 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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Related cards
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #704 card?
It is card #704 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ross Baumgarten, Mike Colbern and Mike Squires. Cards #701-726 are the 26 three-player Prospects cards, one per club - AL clubs first, each league in alphabetical order by city - with black-and-white player photos on the front. A Prospects card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card. On #703, #705, #712, #718 and #723, one or two of the players never reached the major leagues.
Is 1979 Topps #704 a rookie card?
Yes - #704 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Ross Baumgarten, Mike Colbern and Mike Squires.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.