Major League Baseball Player. For eight seasons (1959 to 1966), he was an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. Born Joseph O'Neal Christopher, he attended St. Patrick's High School in the Virgin Islands and was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. He made his Major League debut on May 26th, 1959 and played in 15 games that year. As a backup to left-fielder Bob Skinner, he experienced a world championship with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates and appeared in 3 games against the New York Yankees during the 1960 World Series. Claimed by the New York Mets when baseball expanded in 1962, he had the distinction of being on the New York Mets during their inaugural year in the league (1962). In 1964, he saw his playing time dramatically increase as he produced career-highs with 163 hits, 16 home runs and 76 RBIs with a .300 batting average. In 638 career regular season games, he compiled 434 hits, with a .260 lifetime batting average. He briefly played professionally in the Mexican League before retiring during the early 1970s. He went on to become a freelance artist and painter.
Major League Baseball Player. For eight seasons (1959 to 1966), he was an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. Born Joseph O'Neal Christopher, he attended St. Patrick's High School in the Virgin Islands and was signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955. He made his Major League debut on May 26th, 1959 and played in 15 games that year. As a backup to left-fielder Bob Skinner, he experienced a world championship with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates and appeared in 3 games against the New York Yankees during the 1960 World Series. Claimed by the New York Mets when baseball expanded in 1962, he had the distinction of being on the New York Mets during their inaugural year in the league (1962). In 1964, he saw his playing time dramatically increase as he produced career-highs with 163 hits, 16 home runs and 76 RBIs with a .300 batting average. In 638 career regular season games, he compiled 434 hits, with a .260 lifetime batting average. He briefly played professionally in the Mexican League before retiring during the early 1970s. He went on to become a freelance artist and painter.
Bio by: C.S.
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