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Alvin O'Neal McBean
San Diego Padres
Pitcher
Born: May 15, 1938, Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands
Signed: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams: Pittsburgh Pirates 1961-1968; San Diego Padres 1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1969-1970; Pittsburgh Pirates 1970
One of the top relievers of the early 1960s, Al McBean was the first pitcher in the majors born in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For three seasons, from 1963 to 1965, McBean placed in the top ten among N.L. pitchers for saves and appearances. He enjoyed his best season in 1964, recording a career high 21 saves and being named The Sporting News' N.L. Fireman of the Year. He recorded 19 saves the following year but then the Pirates returned their closer duties to Roy Face (#207), coming back from an injury, in 1966.
McBean was a popular, fun-loving player with a somewhat quirky personality. The best man at his wedding in 1962 was his Pirates' roommate Roberto Clemente (#50). In parts of 10 seasons, McBean appeared in 409 games (76 starts), compiling a 67-50 record and a 3.13 ERA with 63 saves. For years following his playing days he remained active within his community in St. Thomas.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.
Building the Set / Card #7
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY)
I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room, and this was one of six cards from the 1969 Topps set I added to our stack of 1965 Topps commons, almost as an afterthought. In total, I added 94 cards to our 1965 Topps set from Uncle Dick's and his neon green binders, six cards from the 1969 Topps set and two more from the 1959 Topps set for a future set build. After a dealer discount, this McBean card was about $1. Composing posts for these six cards will take much less time than it took to compose posts for the 94 cards added to our 1965 Topps set.
The Card / Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
1969 Season
McBean was drafted by the Padres from the Pirates as the 50th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. Beginning the season as the new club's fifth starter behind Dick Selma (#197), Johnny Podres (#659), Dick Kelley (#359) and Clay Kirby (#637), McBean made only one start for the Padres on April 12th against the Giants. He took the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits over seven innings of work. On April 17th, the Padres traded McBean to the Dodgers for Tommy Dean (#641) and Leon Everett. With Los Angeles, he made 31 relief appearances, going 2-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 48 1/3 inning pitched.
Phillies Connection
McBean was released by the Pirates (his second stint with the club) on May 18, 1970 and signed with the Phillies. In 1970 and 1971, he appeared in 32 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by former Phillies catcher Andy Seminick. McBean went 13-9 with a 4.82 ERA over 190 innings pitched, but he never got the call from the Phillies. He retired following the 1971 season.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #424
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #435
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 42 in the Beckett online database as of 12/28/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
December 4, 2021 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards, Babylon, NY)
I've posted a complete summary of this fantastic show over at The Phillies Room, and this was one of six cards from the 1969 Topps set I added to our stack of 1965 Topps commons, almost as an afterthought. In total, I added 94 cards to our 1965 Topps set from Uncle Dick's and his neon green binders, six cards from the 1969 Topps set and two more from the 1959 Topps set for a future set build. After a dealer discount, this McBean card was about $1. Composing posts for these six cards will take much less time than it took to compose posts for the 94 cards added to our 1965 Topps set.
The Card / Padres Team Set / Accuracy Index -8
This is the first card of the expansion Padres in the set, and therefore technically the first ever Padres baseball card. McBean is shown here in a Pirates uniform, with the photo taken during the same session that yielded the photo used for his 1968 Topps card. His 1964 Fireman of the Year honors are highlighted on the back and his grand slam from July 28, 1968 is also mentioned. McBean hit the home run off Cardinals' pitcher Larry Jaster (#496).
Accuracy Index: McBean loses five points for being pictured in a Pirates uniform and three points for being hatless.
1969 Season
McBean was drafted by the Padres from the Pirates as the 50th pick in the 1968 expansion draft. Beginning the season as the new club's fifth starter behind Dick Selma (#197), Johnny Podres (#659), Dick Kelley (#359) and Clay Kirby (#637), McBean made only one start for the Padres on April 12th against the Giants. He took the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits over seven innings of work. On April 17th, the Padres traded McBean to the Dodgers for Tommy Dean (#641) and Leon Everett. With Los Angeles, he made 31 relief appearances, going 2-6 with a 3.91 ERA in 48 1/3 inning pitched.
Phillies Connection
McBean was released by the Pirates (his second stint with the club) on May 18, 1970 and signed with the Phillies. In 1970 and 1971, he appeared in 32 games for the Triple-A Eugene Emeralds, managed by former Phillies catcher Andy Seminick. McBean went 13-9 with a 4.82 ERA over 190 innings pitched, but he never got the call from the Phillies. He retired following the 1971 season.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #424
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9): 1962-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1981 TCMA The 1960s II #435
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 42 in the Beckett online database as of 12/28/22.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog
1965 Topps Blog
#13 Mickey Stanley - Detroit Tigers / #15 Blog Powell - Baltimore Orioles
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