#516 Al Weis

In one of the packages that reader and commenter Max has sent me over the past few years, there was a fantastic customized version of this card. Some mischievous young collector had taken pen to cardboard and covered Al Weis with bruises and stitches and what-have-you, making him look like some sort of Frankenstein's Monster. I don't know exactly where that masterpiece is at the moment, so I'll share another artful card that Max was kind enough to bestow upon me. I don't have another copy of Walter Alston's card yet, so for the time being this beauty is in the set binder.

Fun facts about Al Weis:

-A native of Franklin Square, NY, Al signed with the White Sox in 1959.

-He debuted with Chicago at age 24 late in the 1962 season.

-As a part-time middle infielder with the 1963 White Sox, he batted .271 and tied for the team lead with 15 steals to earn a selection to the Topps All-Rookie Team.

-Though his average dipped to .247 in his sophomore season, he split time at second base with Don Buford and stole a team-best 22 bases. Only Luis Aparicio swiped more bags in the American League.

-Weis' playing time waned from 1965-1967. During the 1967 season, he was put out of commission after breaking his leg in a collision with Frank Robinson, who barreled into him at second base to break up a double play.

-Following a trade to the Mets, Al's bat completely abandoned him; he batted only .191 in parts of four seasons in New York.

-He did have a shining moment or two during the 1969 World Series. He drove in the winning run with an RBI single off of Dave McNally in the ninth inning of Game Two, and he tied Game Five with a solo home runs in the seventh against McNally. Overall, Weis hit .455 (5-for-11) with four walks and three RBI as the Mets upset the Orioles in five games. When a guy with a .553 career OPS puts up a 1.290 in the Series, you're living a charmed life.

-Unfortunately for Al, the good times stopped there. After batting .207 in 130 at-bats in 1970, he appeared in 11 games for New York the following season before the team released him in July to end his career. In parts of 10 seasons he was a .219 hitter with 7 home runs and 115 RBI.

-If you're looking to cherry-pick stats, he was a career .292 hitter with a .792 OPS in the fourth inning.

-One feather in his cap: his final career hit was a two-run homer off of future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton on September 3, 1970.