The 1974 Topps Rookie All-Star Team - John D'Acquisto

Here they are - the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" by a vote of fellow MLB players following the 1974 season and featured in the 1975 Topps set. 

I have completed the run of these up through 2018 Series Two, at least all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy. 

Topps decided to skip the Trophies on the 1974 Topps Set, but they made a triumphant return in 1975. I wanted to show my appreciation for this expression of good judgement, so for the 1974 Lineup, I will do a separate post for each player. This was a pretty good crop of players, so let's dive in! 

Well, at the end of the day, Topps made a pretty good run in 1975, festooning the worthy rookies with a gaudy golden bowl of greatness. But John D'Acquisto was given the short end of the stick. The Righty from SoCal worked his way up the Giants' minor league ladder for a hearty snub from Topps.

See? He was the Giants' leader in Ks in 1974 - and Topps had him on the 1974 Rookie All-Star Team, but denied him the trophy. Topps also named him the Rookie Pitcher of the Year. It's a shame!

Also a shame? I thought I had a copy of D'Acquisto's sweet 1977 Topps card as a Saint Louis Cardinal, but I can't find it in my 70s binder. It might be in a box somewhere, but who knows which one? After a couple solid seasons in San Francisco, and a brief 3 game stint in Saint Louis, D'Acquisto moved to his hometown team of San Diego. The Padres revived an injury plagued career by shifting John to the bullpen. He still wanted to start however, and found limited success that way. He was pretty good in the bullpen again in 1980, splitting time between the Padres and the Montreal Expos. In 1981, he pitched just a handful of games for the Angels before the strike hit. He would end up finishing that year in AAA Salt Lake. In 1982 he was a minor leaguer in Atlanta's system, then finished his MLB career back in the bay in 1983 with the Oakland A's. D'Acquisto also found time to appear in the Senior League, like so many other 1974 Topps Rookie All-Stars.