Help identifying 1972-73 winter league team players [Archive]

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Spike

12-30-2018, 07:02 PM

I'm trying to identify all players from the 1972-73 Puerto Rican winter league stickers that make up Santurce's team photo, which checklists #1-9 in that set. As with many winter leagues, that team included several established or up-and-coming major leaguers.

Using checklist and individual sticker scans from its 1972-73 album, I've accounted for all but three players in the photo. Above it, I've listed individuals with album photos that don't seem to be in the team photo. (The set's team & album photos were from different days.)

I can't ID three guys in the team photo, at least based on their individual photo. Anyone know who the unlabeled guy in front and two guys in the middle row are? Here's a larger size, if helpful.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JB7PuVjasWo/XCl4JfzthaI/AAAAAAAAQzo/Nnpja4uUpxM_aWXpaMXOn7gdCXifWWJswCLcBGAs/s1600/1972PR_full_sheet.jpeg

CurtisFlood

12-31-2018, 06:57 AM

Not sure exactly what you are asking, but I don't see Ron Cey, Tony Perez, or Orlando Cepeda in this photo.

Spike

12-31-2018, 08:47 AM

Not sure exactly what you are asking, but I don't see Ron Cey, Tony Perez, or Orlando Cepeda in this photo.

Thanks, I'm trying to ID the three guys in the photo not yet named. Hope this will clarify better:

The company that made this 1972-73 Puerto Rican winter league sticker set also printed an album to stick them all into. Aside from this team photo, the set includes stickers for individual players, which I used to identify all the guys named so far in red-on-white text. (The original team photo doesn't include any names, that's what I added.)

All of the names along the top of my image are guys with individual stickers in the same set who played for Santurce's team and yet don't appear in the team photo. (Agreed, there's no Cey, Perez, and Cepeda in there.) Because winter league teams include so many MLB players, there's a good chance the three not yet ID'd also played for MLB teams and had 1970s Topps cards. Hoping other collectors here will recognize them.

Steve D

12-31-2018, 11:59 AM

Actually, if you look closely at Mike Strahler, you'll notice someone peeking out from behind him. That looks to me, like it could be Ron Cey.

Steve

JollyElm

12-31-2018, 02:06 PM

JollyElm

12-31-2018, 02:22 PM

...and the other guy standing in that row strikes me as Enos Cabell (pun intended).
(It is crazy how your mind suddenly throws out names that you've never ever thought of in your life.)

judsonhamlin

12-31-2018, 03:26 PM

I was thing Diego Segui for middle row right.

Spike

01-01-2019, 08:50 AM

I gotta say, my instant thought with the guy on the far right was Angel (Pepe) Manguel. Could be right, could be wrong. Would have to look at other pics from the time period to see what's what...but that may be a winner.

Far right: Angel Mangual looks right to me and would fit as PR native with winter league experience.

Middle right: Diego Segui fits my eye better than Enos Cabell, if just for the clean shaven face. He's also a member of the Caribbean Baseball HOF and I can find stories about his play for Santurce in the 60s.

Updated the photo names:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8GT_Ci6_HA/XCuQxuwGZVI/AAAAAAAAQ0k/0fpMPq2vsnAYpvyfRPnCnDp-B0QPwHlFwCLcBGAs/s1600/1972PR_full_sheet.jpeg

Thanks guys! Hope we can get that last one.

ALBB

01-01-2019, 09:03 AM

Pepe Manguel .... great trade the Mets made to pick him up !!

JollyElm

01-01-2019, 03:51 PM

I am honestly not getting Segui at all. Here's a photo comparison of the three candidates (including Manguel wearing almost the exact same expression) from the general time period. The funny thing is, the man in question looks most like a young Frank Robinson (maybe a mustachioed F-Robby went back in time to pose in a picture with his younger self?). I'm not convinced it's Cabell by any means, but it's tough to compare because of the differences in angles, the lack of clarity and his tongue (ha ha). On the positive side, the face shape is the same, the hair is the same and his curved slope of a nose ending in a point looks to fit, too. But, again, there's not enough information to definitively determine it either way.

I would say it's very likely the player isn't either Cabell or Segui.

339288

Do you have access to any sort of rosters from this team and/or league from that particular season? Or a clearer photo?

Lastly, the final person you're hoping to identify is the guy on the ground, right? Could he possibly just be an older bat boy or something? All of the players are seated or standing in the traditional team photo set up, and one guy is on the ground in front, a la the bat boys. It seems to me he doesn't share the same 'stature' as the other guys and may not be an actual player.

For extra credit, you should try to name that kid looking on from the stands in the background and whoever is hidden behind Mike Strahler!!

CobbSpikedMe

01-01-2019, 03:57 PM

Hey Spike,

You have 2 players identified as Angel Mangual in the photo. I think one of them needs a revision. Sorry to put you back to two missing IDs.

AndyH

bobw

01-01-2019, 08:10 PM

Spike

01-02-2019, 09:40 AM

I'll give it a shot....

Ruben Gomez

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4803/44746727890_5281b1143d_b.jpg

Angel Mangual......the sideburns

https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7860/45840435114_8fdba16308_b.jpg

Ron Cey behind Strahler......I know, it's a stretch

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4898/44746727780_12ca299339_b.jpg

Thanks for the extra legwork and I did indeed corner myself into naming the same guy twice. (Whoops.) I guess we know we know how many Angels can fit into the head of a JPEG now! Updated the photo with names.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-txeQN7K36BU/XCzpCs54FLI/AAAAAAAAQ1A/yv0_bMHXik8eusB5uJpJ0mC3g2x939AvACLcBGAs/s1600/1972PR_full_sheet.jpeg

The guy behind Strahler looks pretty short, so maybe it IS the Penguin. ;-)