Davey Concepcion was the everyday shortstop during the most successful era in Reds history. After breaking in at age 21 in 1970, he quickly established himself as a key cog in a powerful team.

From ’73 through ’82 Concepcion filled his trophy case. Playing for four pennant-winners and two World Series champions, Concepcion earned five Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. He was also selected to nine All Star Games in the ten-year run.

Shown here is an autographed 1983 Topps baseball card depicting Concepcion in his final All Star campaign.

The Cincinnati Reds were the National League’s winningest teams of the 1970s. Known as the Big Red Machine, they won six division titles, four pennants, and two World Series titles. From 1970-1979 the averaged more than 95 wins per season.

Built by GM Bob Howsam, the Reds boasted future Hall of Famers at multiple positions and Cooperstown manager Sparky Anderson. Their zenith came in 1975 and ’76 when the won back-to-back titles.

Davey Concepcion held down the shortstop position for Cincy throughout the run. The Venezuelan took home five Gold Gloves from 1975 through 1979 and later two Silver Sluggers.

His ’75 squad won 108 games and finished 20 games ahead of the second-place Dodgers. Cincinnati swept Pittsburgh in the NLCS then defeated Boston in a thrilling seven-game Fall Classic.

A month after their triumph, Cunard Cruise Lines put together a promotional tour for the world champs. They offered an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise for Howsam, Anderson, players Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, and announcer Marty Brennaman. To earn their keep, each man did a presentation and fielded questions from those who attended.

Shown here is the baseball itinerary from that cruise. It is signed by all seven Reds and authenticated by Beckett. The on-board presentations included four topics in which the Reds representatives held court.

The following season in ’76 it was more of the same. Concepcion repeated as an All Star and Gold Glover while the Reds won 102 games then swept their way through the NLCS and the World Series.

The Cincinnati Reds dominated the 1976 regular season with 102 wins. Then they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the first two in the best-of-five NLCS.

In a pressure-packed Game 3 it looked like the Phillies might climb back in the Series. The roar at Riverfront Stadium built inning by inning, then exploded in a ninth-inning storm no one inside forgot.  Cincinnati trailed 6–4 and stood three outs from defeat, yet the Big Red Machine never blinked.

George Foster opened the inning with ferocity, turning on a pitch and driving it out of the park to cut the deficit. The swing shifted everything. Moments later, Johnny Bench followed with thunder of his own, launching a game-tying blast that sent the crowd into chaos. Back-to-back home runs erased the lead and stunned Philadelphia, flipping momentum in seconds.

Pressure mounted as Cincinnati refused to let up. Dave Concepción ripped a single, bringing the winning run into motion. César Gerónimo worked a walk, and the Reds suddenly had traffic on the bases. A sacrifice by Ed Armbrister pushed both runners into scoring position, tightening the vise on Philadelphia pitching. Pete Rose drew an intentional walk, loading the bases and daring someone to deliver.

Then came Ken Griffey, calm amid the frenzy. Griffey chopped a high bouncer toward first. Phillies first baseman Bobby Tolan made a do-or-die effort but couldn’t come up with it. Instead, the ball skipped past the charging fielder, and Concepción raced home with the pennant-winning run. Cincinnati stormed the field as the rally completed a stunning three-run uprising.

The Reds captured their second-straight National League crown in unforgettable fashion. Power from Foster and Bench ignited the comeback, while Griffey delivered the walk-off hit in the decisive moment. The Big Red Machine rolled on, unstoppable and relentless when it mattered most.

Shown here is a ticket to that contest at Cincinati’s Riverfront Stadium. Bench and Griffey have both signed this PSA-authenticated piece.

An advance scout stays one step ahead of his team scouting the team they’ll play next. This scouting report on Dave Concepcion was written just after he celebrated his 39th birthday.

Among the observations are, “Arm: Average/Accurate”, and notes that the former All Star is playing only occasionally.

Though he played in just 104 games in ’87, Concepcion played well. He put up career highs in both batting average (.319) and on-base percentage (.377). The year was a resurgent one for the shortstop. His 1.3 WAR was his best mark since his final All Star campaign five years earlier.

This agreement was signed on May 6, 1988 just one month shy of Dave Concepcion’s 40th birthday. Here the shortstop agrees to extend his endorsement of Topps baseball cards for another three years. Four months after signing this, Concepcion played his last game in September of 1988.

He left the game with a career .267 average, a .322 on-base percentage, and a .357 slugging mark. Concepcion tallied 2,326 hits, 993 runs, and 950 runs batted in. A solid October performer, Concepcion appeared in five National League Championship Series and four World Series. On baseball’s biggest stage he improved his slash line to .297/.333/.455.

The Reds honored their shortstop by inducting him in to their team Hall of Fame in 2000. Seven years later Cincinnati further recognized Concepcion by making his #13 the ninth number retired by the franchise.

The chronological middleman of the Venezuelan shortstop trio that includes Luis Aparicio and Omar Vizquel, Dave Concepcion remains closely tied to his country.  CooperstownExpert.com asked Omar Vizquel about his Venezuela homeland’s ability to produce great shortstops.

Click here to see what the 11-time Gold Glover has to say. Vizquel specifically mentions two of his countrymen specifically, Hall of Famer Luis Aparacio and the Big Red Machine’s Davey Concepcion. Venezuela is a hotbed for big league talent, producing 428 major leaguers as of the start of the 2021 season.

The trio of shortstops combined for 25 Gold Glove Awards and 7,880 base hits. Proud of his heritage, Vizquel is very aware of country’s contributions to Major League Baseball.