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- Larry Dierker was only 29 years old, but he was just about at the end of his career when this card was printed
- Larry had a 13-14 record with a 3.69 ERA in his last full season in 1976
- On July 9, 1976 Dierker pitched a no-hitter against the Montreal Expos
- After 14 seasons with the Houston Astros, Dierker was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1976 season
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? after peak
- After posting decent numbers in the minors from 1972-1974, Rick Manning earned a promotion to the majors at the age of 20 in 1975 after a good start in AAA Oklahoma City.
- Rick's best two seasons were in 1975 and in 1976
- In 1976 Manning won a Gold Glove award and batted .292 in 138 games
- Rick broke up a no-hit bid by the Rangers' Steve Hargan on August 15 by doubling in the 7th inning.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? peak
- Gary Matthews was one of the unsung young stars of the game in 1976. Playing for several bad Giants teams didn't help him gain much notoriety.
- In 1976 Matthews batted .279 with 20 HR and 84 RBI.
- After the 1976 season Gary signed a multi-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.
- The Braves lost a first round draft choice and were fined for contacting Matthews without permission before the opening of the free agent season.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? peak
- Cesar Geronimo was a good fielder and had a great arm. He won four straight Gold Gloves from 1974-1977
- Offensively, this five-year run is decent, but not awe-inspiring. Cesar had a nice year in 1974 -- it was the first year that he started more than 100 games.
- In 1976 Geronimo had his best offensive year. He batted .307, hit 11 triples, and stole 22 bases. Cesar also had a .382 on base percentage.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? peak
- Don Kessinger had spent 11 seasons as the shortstop for the Chicago Cubs. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals after the 1975 season.
- Kessinger was expected to help provide leadership for a young infield. Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst placed Don in the #2 spot behind leadoff hitter Lou Brock.
- Don played one full season for the Cardinals in 1976, batting .243 in 145 games.
- The emergence of Garry Templeton in 1977 relegated Kessinger to a utility role. Don was traded to the Chicago White Sox in August 1977.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? after peak
- Dave Concepcion established himself as the Reds' starting shortstop in 1973. He didn't play a full season in '73 due to an injury.
- In 1975 Dave started a string of All Star appearances that would last through the 1982 season
- According to a poll of National League players, Dave would not have been the NL starting shortstop in the All Star Game if players had voted. Larry Bowa would have been the starter instead.
- Concepcion had a typically good season in 1976. He batted .281 with 9 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He won the second of five Gold Glove awards.
- Dave was voted to the Associated Press All Star Team after the 1976 season.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? peak
- After the 1976 season Dave and teammate Tony Perez voiced frustration about how Latin ballplayers were forgotten and underrated.
- As the card back shows, Gene Tenace was a part-time player until 1973.
- Tenace spent most of 1973 playing first base, then he was behind the plate for about 2/3 of the time in 1974. Gene played catcher for about 3/4 of his games in 1975.
- Gene had some good power years from 1973-1975, averaging 26.3 home runs per season.
- Tenace was an AL All Star in 1975 and also got a little bit of MVP support (18th in MVP voting)
- Gene played in only 128 games in 1976. Tenace strained his left knee sliding into second base on April 20. It was thought that he would miss 10-14 days, but he ended up missing five weeks.
- Tenace batted .249 with 22 HR and 66 RBI. It was the only year from 1973-1979 that he didn't walk over 100 times (he had 81 bases on balls)
- After the 1976 season Tenace signed a six-year, $1.8 million contract with the San Diego Padres. He made $40,800 in 1976, so the pact represented a huge raise for Gene.
- Before peak, peak, or after peak? after peak (barely)
