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Ka 371-372
I'm concluding that this was a pitcher by the name of Tom Raponi. Tom was a prospect from Queens, NY, who had starred with the St. John's University baseball team. He was a non-roster invitee with the Detroit Tigers in 1977.
The only two non-major leaguers I can discern in Tigers' spring camps whose surnames began with Ra... were Raponi and Jose Ramos. They were both southpaw pitchers. I only have a photo of Raponi at an advanced age, so it's not very useful for comparison. In looking at the Ramos, baseball card, it doesn't seem to be he. Besides, the marking on the Topps Vault player shoes says "RAP." Finally, the patch in the Topps Vault uniform suggests that 1977 would be the right era. Jose Ramos was on the Tigers spring roster in 1991.
Photos (L to R) are Topps Vault KA 372, Jose Ramos baseball card, and Tom Raponi at advanced age.
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