#137 Al Silvera - Cincinnati Redlegs

Aaron Albert Silvera
Cincinnati Redlegs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  August 26, 1935, San Diego, CA
Signed:  Signed by the Cincinnati Redlegs as an amateur free agent, June 3, 1955
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Redlegs 1955-1956
Died:  July 24, 2002, Los Angeles, CA (age 66)

Signed for $20,000 as a bonus baby in the middle of the 1955 seasons, Al Silvera was placed on the Reds' major league roster for the duration of that season making his big league debut on June 14th.  The 19-year-old played sparingly, appearing in 12 games either as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter and finally getting to play an inning in left field on September 25th.  His sole big league hit came on June 26th when he pinch-hit for Roy McMillan (#123) and singled home two runs off the Phillies' Murry Dickson (#211).  Suffering an injury, Silvera was limited to just one game in 1956 with the Reds.  He played a few seasons in the Athletics' minor league system before retiring from baseball in 1958.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #211
I went nuts and bought 16 common cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card / Redlegs Team Set
What's the direction the Topps photographer gave to Silvera here?  Perhaps, "Pretend like you're in the outfield and a fly ball has just surprised you."  Despite appearing in only 14 big league games, Silvera owns a card in the iconic 1956 Topps set, so that's a career highlight right there.  This is the fifth first and last card to appear in the set so far, with the first four being Nelson Burbrink (#27), Jose Santiago (#59), Babe Birrer (#84) and Jake Martin (#129).  The back of the card promotes his college baseball exploits and the fact Silvera was a highly sought-after prospect.

1956 Season

Silvera's only game with the Reds in 1956 was also to be his last in the majors.  On May 8th, he pinch-ran for George Crowe (#254) in the eighth inning and was stranded at first when Johnny Temple (#212) grounded out to end the inning.  The Reds released him on May 19th and he spent the rest of the season playing for the Port Arthur Sea Hawks and the Abilene Blue Sox in Texas' Big State League.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #137
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #137

6 - Silvera non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/9/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia