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Albert Gregory Pearson
Los Angeles Angels
Outfield
Born: September 12, 1934, Alhambra, CA
Signed: Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1958-1959; Baltimore Orioles 1959-1960; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1965; California Angels 1966
Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1958-1959; Baltimore Orioles 1959-1960; Los Angeles Angels 1961-1965; California Angels 1966
Short in stature, Albie Pearson toiled for five seasons in the Red Sox minor league system before a January 1958 trade sent him to Washington. With the Senators in 1958, Pearson was the team's opening day center fielder and he'd appear in 146 games, batting .275. Pearson would win the American League Rookie of the Year honors, beating out the Yankees' Ryne Duren (#339) and the Indians' Gary Bell (#424). Pearson was hit hard by the sophomore jinx and on May 26, 1959, the Senators traded the slumping outfielder to the Orioles. He'd find little success with the Orioles. In 1960, Pearson personally wrote to the general manager of the new Los Angeles Angels club, Fred Haney, requesting that Haney draft Pearson in the upcoming expansion draft. Haney must have received the letter and Pearson was the 30th and final pick by the Angels in the draft. Pearson was the club's first ever right fielder, starting for the club on opening day in 1961. He enjoyed his finest seasons with the Angels, leading the league in runs scored in 1962 with 115 and starting the All-Star Game in 1963 in center field. Pearson batted .304 in 1963, finishing fourth in the league, and he'd lead the league with 139 singles. He set career highs in hits (176), RBIs (47) and stolen bases (17) that season.
Pearson would play in three more years with the Angels before retiring. In 988 big league games, he batted .270 with 831 hits, 77 stolen bases and 214 RBIs.
Building the Set
September 5, 2021 from Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #346
On the Sunday before Labor Day, we had planned to head to Hersheypark for the day but rain was in the forecast and we decided to postpone our Hershey visit until October. Suddenly with no plans, I voluntarily agreed to step foot into another mall as I had remembered seeing a modest baseball card show being advertised for the weekend. Modest turned out to be an understatement, as there were less than 10 tables present and only a few tables were selling anything older than from the 1990s. One dealer had a few boxes of vintage Topps cards, and with $20 to spend and after the dealer told me everything was 50% off the sticker price, I found five cards we needed for our set. Strangely enough, the dealer only had 1965 Topps cards featuring Braves, Angels or Astros players. This Pearson card was only $3.
The Card / Angels Team Set
The back of Pearson's card highlights his Rookie of the Year win in 1958. The six extra base hits over two games that's referenced on the back happened on April 28 and 29, 1962 against the Tigers. Pearson collected two doubles and a triple in the first game, and then added three doubles in the second game. His height must have been a frequently discussed aspect of his game back in the day, and Topps makes it clear that he's the "smallest outfielder in the majors today."
1965 Season
Pearson began the season on the bench for the Angels, but earned a platoon role in right field with the right-handed hitting Lou Clinton (#229). He'd appear in 122 games for the Angels, making 76 starts in right field, nine starts in center field and four starts in left field. Pearson batted .278 in his final full season with 100 hits, four home runs and 21 RBIs. He stole 12 bases. In spring training 1966, Pearson ruptured two discs in his back while sliding into third base, and the injury would limit him to only two games and three plate appearances before forcing his retirement from the game.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #317
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1958-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AP
59 - Pearson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/29/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
September 5, 2021 from Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #346
On the Sunday before Labor Day, we had planned to head to Hersheypark for the day but rain was in the forecast and we decided to postpone our Hershey visit until October. Suddenly with no plans, I voluntarily agreed to step foot into another mall as I had remembered seeing a modest baseball card show being advertised for the weekend. Modest turned out to be an understatement, as there were less than 10 tables present and only a few tables were selling anything older than from the 1990s. One dealer had a few boxes of vintage Topps cards, and with $20 to spend and after the dealer told me everything was 50% off the sticker price, I found five cards we needed for our set. Strangely enough, the dealer only had 1965 Topps cards featuring Braves, Angels or Astros players. This Pearson card was only $3.
On the second floor of the mall, former Phillies players Lenny Dykstra, Dave Hollins, Mickey Morandini and Kevin Stocker were available for autographs. Having autographs from everyone in that group except Dykstra, we opted to leave the mall and head to the movies to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Not a bad way to close out the summer!
The Card / Angels Team Set
The back of Pearson's card highlights his Rookie of the Year win in 1958. The six extra base hits over two games that's referenced on the back happened on April 28 and 29, 1962 against the Tigers. Pearson collected two doubles and a triple in the first game, and then added three doubles in the second game. His height must have been a frequently discussed aspect of his game back in the day, and Topps makes it clear that he's the "smallest outfielder in the majors today."
1965 Season
Pearson began the season on the bench for the Angels, but earned a platoon role in right field with the right-handed hitting Lou Clinton (#229). He'd appear in 122 games for the Angels, making 76 starts in right field, nine starts in center field and four starts in left field. Pearson batted .278 in his final full season with 100 hits, four home runs and 21 RBIs. He stole 12 bases. In spring training 1966, Pearson ruptured two discs in his back while sliding into third base, and the injury would limit him to only two games and three plate appearances before forcing his retirement from the game.
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First Mainstream Card: 1958 Topps #317
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1958-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-AP
59 - Pearson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/29/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #357 Carl Warwick - St. Louis Cardinals
Previous Card: #357 Carl Warwick - St. Louis Cardinals
Next Card: #359 Ken Johnson - Houston Astros
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