1972-73 Venezuelan Winter League Baseball #5, Jose Lopez

I've long been fascinated with winter baseball, since many players follow warm temperatures south once America's regular season wraps up. Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic all own long league histories, with a vast number of Latino players starting their careers there. Since it's effectively another "minor league" that feeds talent into our big leagues, MLB history intersects in meaningful ways with each country that hosts a pro league.

Card front (blank back)

This isn't Jose Lopez, the former Seattle and Colorado infielder. Instead, it's Jose Angel Lopez, a Venezuelan native who spent 7 years in the Houston and St. Louis farm systems (minor stats at B-R.com). It was nigh-impossible for fans to track multi-country prospects in those days, but MLB.com news provides a steady stream of "winter league" player updates.

Aqua on yellow? Must be 1972 Topps

Venezuela capital-L loves baseball and locals printed cards as far back as 1916. Many post-war designs imitate Topps sets and their 1972 issue took a stab at its psychedelic arches, with high-contrast borders and player name on the bottom edge. Card numbers move to the front, since they're really blank-backed stamps destined for mounting in team albums. TCDB provides its 249-card checklist.

Value: Mr. Lopez cost $10 on eBay a few years ago. Venezuelan cards are affordable if you avoid the big league stars.

Fakes / reprints: Haven't seen many foreign fakes in the market and it'd be tough to make money reprinting 1970s Latin American sets.