Albie "Little Man" Pearson

Albie Pearson 1959-60

Albie was the smallest baseball player of his era, and possibly of all time (outside of any stunts that Bill Veeck might have pulled) but he was able to have a pretty good career anyway. He was listed as being only 5'5" and 140 pounds which earned him the nickname "Little Man" from Ted Williams among others.

He is probably best remembered for being the 1958 AL Rookie of the Year while with the Washington Senators. He was traded to the Orioles in the middle of the '59 season in exchange for Lenny Green. While with the O's, he played all three outfield positions and was a regular member of the lineup for the rest of the 1959 season. He also started 1960 in Baltimore but was sent to the Minor Leagues in the middle of the season before being called back up in September. The expansion Los Angeles Angels (yes, they were briefly called that upon their inception before changing the moniker to the California Angels in 1965) drafted Albie away from the Orioles following the 1960 season. He had the best year of his career with them in 1963 and earned his only All-Star berth as well as a few MVP votes.

After he retired from baseball, Albie became an ordained non-denominational minister and has started numerous churches around the world. He also started the Father's Heart Ranch for abused or neglected boys. Nice work Albie.