Rookie of the Year: Albie Pearson, 1958

Outfielder, Washington Senators

 

Age:  24 (Sept. 12)

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 5’5”    Weight: 140

 

Prior to 1958:

A native of Alhambra, California, Pearson was named Albie for Yale football star Albie Booth, who excelled despite small stature. The son of diminutive parents, Pearson topped out at 5’4 7/8”. After lettering in four sports in high school, where he was a pitcher/outfielder on the baseball team, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox out of Pomona Junior College in 1953. Initially assigned to San Jose of the Class C California League, the 18-year-old hit .334. Advancing to Albany of the Class A Eastern League in 1954, he batted .269 with 19 doubles, 8 triples, 3 home runs, 91 runs scored, and 38 RBIs. Notable for his hustling and determination, he moved on to the Montgomery Rebels of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1955 where he hit .305 with 27 doubles, 9 triples, and 4 home runs. With Oklahoma City in the Texas League in 1956 he batted .371 in 122 games and finished the season with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, where over the course of 31 games he hit .297. Returning to the Seals in 1957 Pearson batted .297 with 22 doubles, 11 triples, 5 home runs, and 50 RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to the Senators, where, thanks to his good range in center field, he made it into Washington’s opening-day lineup in 1958 despite the concerns about his size.

 

1958 Season Summary

Appeared in 146 games

CF – 136, RF – 6, PH – 6

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 610 [13]

At Bats – 530 [16]

Runs – 63

Hits – 146 [17]

Doubles – 25 [10, tied with Minnie Minoso, Frank Bolling & Don Buddin]

Triples – 5 [13, tied with seven others]

Home Runs – 3

RBI – 33

Bases on Balls – 64 [11, tied with Charlie Maxwell]

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 31

Stolen Bases – 7 [10, tied with four others]

Caught Stealing – 8 [4, tied with Norm Siebern & Bob Nieman]

Average - .275 [17]

OBP - .354 [16]

Slugging Pct. - .358

Total Bases – 190

GDP – 11

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 11 [4, tied with Dave Sisler]

Sac Flies – 3

 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 15, HR – 0, RBI - 13, AVG - .266, OBP – .361

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. KC A’s 5/4, (in 5 AB) at Cleveland 6/21

Longest hitting streak – 14 games

Most HR, game – 1 (in 4 AB) at Chi. White Sox 7/28, (in 3 AB) vs. Baltimore 9/2, (in 5 AB) at NY Yankees 9/5

HR at home – 1

HR on road – 2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. Baltimore 9/2

Pinch-hitting – 2 of 4 (.500) with 1 BB

 

Fielding

Chances – 351

Put Outs – 338

Assists – 6

Errors – 7

DP - 1

Pct. - .980

 

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

 

AL ROY Voting:

Albie Pearson, Wash.: 14 of 24 votes, 58% share

Ryne Duren, NYY: 7 votes, 29% share

Gary Bell, Clev.: 3 votes, 13% share

 

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Senators went 61-93 to finish eighth in the AL, their third consecutive last-place finish, 31 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees.

 

Aftermath of ‘58:

Bothered by a hernia and illness in 1959, Pearson lost weight, which he could ill afford, and he slumped at bat as well as in the field. Pushed aside in the outfield by Bob Allison, who succeeded him as Rookie of the Year, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in June. Utilized as a reserve outfielder, he batted a combined .216 for the year. He started off well for the Orioles in 1960 but was hitting .231 in June when he was sent down to Miami of the International League where he batted .301 over 53 games before returning to Baltimore in September. In 48 major league games Pearson hit .244. With the AL expanding to Los Angeles in 1961, Pearson wrote to GM Fred Haney of the new Angels franchise asking to be selected in the expansion draft. The Angels did select him, and he made the most of his new opportunity by making the club as the regular center fielder in 1961. He batted .288 and drew 96 walks while also scoring 92 runs. His revived career continued with another fine showing in 1962 in which he led the AL in runs scored (115) while hitting .261 and drawing 95 walks which helped him to a .360 on-base percentage. In addition to his small size, the devout Baptist was known for not smoking, drinking, or swearing (“rat-fink” was his strongest curse). He also did some singing and acting on the side and was an outstanding off-season golfer. Pearson was an All-Star and received MVP votes for the only time in 1963 as he batted .304 with 92 runs scored as well as 92 walks drawn. His performance dropped off in 1964 as he hit .223 with eight extra base hits and he found himself reduced to a part-time role. Pearson was back in the reserve role to start off the 1965 season but was platooned with Lou Clinton in right field and rebounded to .278 with 17 doubles, four home runs, 100 hits, and 41 runs scored. A back injury during spring training in 1966 limited him to two games and Pearson retired following the season. For his major league career, he batted .270 with 831 hits that included 130 doubles, 24 triples, and 28 home runs. He further scored 485 runs and compiled 214 RBIs, 77 stolen bases, and drew 477 walks. With the Senators his production was .264 with 72 runs scored, 161 hits, 26 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs, 35 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, and 78 walks drawn. An example of how much hard work and determination could overcome small stature, he ended up being an All-Star once and was a key player for the Angels, as well as a fan favorite, in their early years. In retirement he became involved in work with non-profit organizations and remained heavily active in church-related activities.

 

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.