ONEMOREINNING

FORGOTTEN:PARTFOUR

SHORTY: ALBIE PEARSON: 5 FEET 6 INCHES

 

   He was the shortest player in the major leagues during his playing time. standing at just  five feet six inches and weighing 140 pounds. He entered the game in April 1949 with the Washington Senators. His career lasted for nine years and ended with the California Angels.

    His lifetime statistics are decent……BA.27O, HITS 831, & 914 runs batted in. All his life though he was told he would never make it as an athlete because of his size. It continued in highschool even though he set records as a highschool fullback. They kept telling him that even when he tore up the Cass C Carolina League with a .335 batting average while playing for the San Jose Red Sox, While spending time with both the Pacific Coast League and the Texas League he again heard how short he was and he could forget about becoming a professional athlete. This was even though he had a season that included a .358 BA, 7 homeruns, 46 RBIs,  6 triples, 36 doubles, 91 walks, and just 4 strikeouts.

   Even when he was sent to the Senators along with Norm Zauchin for Pete Runnels he was told he was wasting his time. That same year though he proved them all wrong by winning the 1958 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD.

   In 1959 he did poorly and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. 1959 was no better for him and by 1960 he ended up with the new expansion club Los Angeles Angels and things turned around for him. by 1963 he was considered to be an important part of the club hitting .305 and made the ALL STAR TEAM. It was at this point that he started experiencing back problems.

   By 1966 he was forced to retire.

   His life after baseball has been an interesting one.

   Shortly after his career ended he became an ordained minister. He then started to help children stay off drugs and started a not for profit group that provided pastors and ministers training in those areas. He also became involved  in establishing orphanages for such areas as Ecuador and Zambia.

    He and his wife went on to found an 11 acre home (Father's Home Ranch) for abused children in the Desert Hot Springs Area in California.

    The both of them established the Pearson's Father's Heart International Foundation That feeds close to 4,000 children every week in Zambia who's parents were felled by Aids.

    He is now 78 years old, has five daughter's, 17 grandchildren, and a remarkable 16 great grandchildren.

     In all he has accomplished a great deal in his lifetime!!