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Arnold Mario Portocarrero
Kansas City Athletics
Pitcher
Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'3" Weight: 196
Born: July 5, 1931, New York, NY
Signed: Signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as an amateur free agent, August 1, 1949
Major League Teams: Philadelphia Athletics 1954; Kansas City Athletics 1955-1957; Baltimore Orioles 1958-1960
Died: June 21, 1986, Mesa, AZ (age 54)
Arnold or "Arnie" Portocarrero was a reliable starting pitcher for seven seasons, appearing mostly for teams that would finish towards the bottom of the American League standings. In 166 career appearances, he made 117 starts and compiled a 38-57 record with a career ERA of 4.32. A highly touted pitching prospect, Portocarrero suffered an injury playing winter ball in Puerto Rico following the 1954 season and he never reached his full potential as a result. He last pitched for the Orioles in 1960 and started the 1961 season with their top farm club before retiring at the start of the season at the age of 29.
Building the Set
This is one of two cards my Dad and I purchased at the Cumberland Mall Baseball Card Show held in late March, 1994. I would have been home on spring break during my sophomore year of college, and the proximity of this baseball card show would have been too tempting to pass up. We paid $6 for this card.
The Card
Our version of this card looks as if it could have just come out of fresh pack of 1956 Topps cards. This is Portocarrero's third Topps card and his final card featuring him with the Philadelphia or Kansas City Athletics. The first panel on the back references his status as one of New York's top prospects, and his SABR biography mentions the New York Giants had given him a standing invitation to come and practice at their ballpark whenever he wanted. To the chagrin of the Giants, and the other New York teams, Portocarrero ultimately signed with the Philadelphia A's.
I'm not sure if this has happened before, but Portocarrero's long name on the back means his middle name (Mario) is shortened to just a middle initial.
1956 Season
Portocarrero appeared in three games for the Athletics in 1956, getting hit around in two of those three appearances. He spent the bulk of the season pitching for the Birmingham Barons in the Southern Association, a Yankees affiliate with which the Athletics had a player sharing arrangement. With the Barons, Portocarrero went 10-10 with a 3.47 ERA in 29 games, pitching 192 innings.
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First Mainstream Card: 1954 Topps #214
First Topps Card: 1954 Topps #214
Last Topps Card: 1960 Topps #254
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #214
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6): 1954-1956, 1958-1960
20 - Portocarrero non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/26/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
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Order Collected: #139 Tommy Carroll - New York Yankees / #119 Larry Jackson - St. Louis Cardinals
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