Oscar McKinley Charleston was an American center fielder and manager in Negro league baseball. Over his 43-year baseball career,Charleston played or managed with more than a dozen teams,including the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords,Negro league baseball's leading teams in the 1930s. He also played nine winter seasons in Cuba and in numerous exhibition games against white major leaguers. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937,and disbanded after its 1962 season.
John Henry Lloyd,nicknamed "Pop" and "El Cuchara",was an American baseball shortstop and manager in the Negro leagues. During his 27-year career,he played for many teams and had a .343 batting average. Lloyd is considered to be the greatest shortstop in Negro league history,and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
Martín Magdaleno Dihigo Llanos,called The Immortal and The Maestro,was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played in the Negro leagues and Latin American leagues from 1923 to 1936 as a two-way player,both as a pitcher and a second baseman,although he excelled at all nine positions and later as a manager.
Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball and in the Mexican League. After growing up in North Carolina,he played for the Homestead Grays between 1934 and 1950,batting fourth behind Josh Gibson for many years. The Grays teams of the 1930s and 1940s were considered some of the best teams in Negro league history. Leonard and Gibson are two of only nine players in league history to win multiple batting titles.
Willie James Wells,nicknamed "The Devil," was an American baseball player. He was a shortstop who played from 1924 to 1948 for various teams in the Negro leagues and in Latin America.
Ernest Judson Wilson,nicknamed "Boojum",was an American third baseman,first baseman,and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Baltimore Black Sox,the Homestead Grays,and the Philadelphia Stars between 1922 and 1945. Wilson was known for possessing a unique physique,a quick temper,and outstanding hitting skills. One of the Negro leagues' most powerful hitters,his career batting average of .351 ranks him among the top five players.
Cristóbal Torriente called Babe Ruth of Cuba,was a Cuban outfielder in Negro league baseball with multiple teams. He played from 1912 to 1932 and was primarily a pull hitter,though he could hit with power to all fields. He had a stocky and slightly bowlegged build,but was known for deceptive power and a strong,accurate arm from center field. Indianapolis ABC's manager C.I. Taylor stated,"If I see Torriente walking up the other side of the street,I would say,'There walks a ballclub.'" Torriente was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
John Preston "Pete" Hill was an American outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues from 1899 to 1925. He played for the Philadelphia Giants,Leland Giants,Chicago American Giants,Detroit Stars,Milwaukee Bears,and Baltimore Black Sox. Hill starred for teams owned by Negro league executive Rube Foster for much of his playing career.
Louis Santop Loftin was an American baseball catcher in the Negro leagues. He became "one of the earliest superstars" and "black baseball's first legitimate home-run slugger" (Riley),and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. Some sources show a birth year of 1890,but his Navy records and Baseball Hall of Fame records support the earlier date.
George "Mule" Suttles was an American first baseman and outfielder in Negro league baseball,most prominently with the Birmingham Black Barons,St. Louis Stars and Newark Eagles. Best known for his power hitting,Suttles was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
The Philadelphia Stars were a Negro league baseball team from Philadelphia. The Stars were founded in 1933 when Ed Bolden returned to professional black baseball after being idle since early 1930. The Stars were an independent ball club in 1933,a member of the Negro National League from 1934 until the League's collapse following the 1948 season,and affiliated with the Negro American League from 1949 to 1952.
JoséColmenar del Valle Méndez was a Cuban right-handed pitcher and manager in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Cárdenas,Matanzas,he died at age 43 in Havana. Known in Cuba as El Diamante Negro,he became a legend in his homeland. He was one of the first group of players elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006.
Andrew Lewis Cooper,nicknamed "Lefty",was an American left-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. An alumnus of Paul Quinn College,Cooper played nine seasons for the Detroit Stars and ten seasons for the Kansas City Monarchs,and briefly played for the Chicago American Giants. The Texan was 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall and weighed 220 pounds.
Henry Lloyd McHenry was an American right-handed pitcher and outfielder in Negro league baseball from 1930 to 1951.
The Lincoln Stars were a Negro league baseball team that played in New York City from 1914 to 1917. Their home stadium was the Lenox Oval,located at Lenox Avenue and 145th Street in Manhattan. Although they lasted less than four years,they were a good team that featured three players who would later be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame—Oscar Charleston,John Henry Lloyd,and Louis Santop.
Francis Xavier Warfield was a baseball infielder and manager in the Negro leagues.
Bernardo Baró was a Cuban professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and the Cuban League. Primarily an outfielder,he also played some games as a pitcher or an infielder. He played for the Cuban Stars (West) and the Cuban Stars (East) in the Negro leagues and Almendares,San Francisco Park and Habana in the Cuban League from 1915 to 1929.
William Walker Cash,nicknamed "Ready",was an American baseball player who became an all-star catcher in the Negro leagues. He batted and threw right-handed. Cash earned his nickname when he was benched and protested to a team manager,"When I put on the uniform,I'm ready to play".
Arvell "Bill" Riggins was an American baseball shortstop in the Negro leagues. He played from 1920 to 1936 with several teams,including the Detroit Stars from 1920 to 1926.
