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The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in 1920 that are sometimes termed "Negro Major Leagues".
James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball from 1922 to 1946. He is considered to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Stories demonstrating Bell's speed are still widely circulated. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. He ranked 66th on a list of the greatest baseball players published by The Sporting News in 1999.
Joshua Gibson was an American baseball catcher primarily in the Negro leagues. Baseball historians consider Gibson to be among the very best power hitters and catchers in baseball history. In 1972, he became the second Negro league player to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The American Negro League (ANL) was one of several Negro leagues established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. The ANL operated on the East Coast of the United States in 1929.
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J. L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time of the establishment of the team. In 1930, the Monarchs became the first professional baseball team to use a portable lighting system which was transported from game to game in trucks to play games at night, five years before any major league team did. The Monarchs won ten league championships before integration, and triumphed in the first Negro League World Series in 1924. The Monarchs had only one season in which they did not have a winning record. The team produced more major league players than any other Negro league franchise. It was disbanded in 1965.
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.
Alejandro Oms Cosme was a Cuban center fielder in Negro league baseball and Latin American baseball, most notably with the Cuban Stars (East). Born in Santa Clara, Las Villas, he died at age 51 in Havana.
Jacinto "Jack" Calvo González was born Jacinto Del Calvo in Havana, Cuba. He was an outfielder for the Washington Senators in 1913 and 1920. He played in 34 games, had 56 at bats, 10 runs, 9 hits, 1 triple, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, 3 walks, a .161 batting average, a .203 on-base percentage, a .250 slugging percentage, 67 total bases and 19 sacrifices. He died in Miami, Florida.
The Cuban X-Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team that played from 1896 to 1906. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants. Like the Cuban Giants, the original players were not Cuban. Edward B. Lamar Jr. served as business manager for the team.
The Washington Black Senators were a Negro league baseball team based in Washington, DC. When the Washington Elite Giants moved to Baltimore, MD in 1938, the gap was filled in by the Black Senators. They were just 2–13 in the Negro National League. Managed by Ben Taylor, the club had two .300 hitters – 3B Henry Spearman (.340) and OF Buddy Burbage (.313).
The Minneapolis Keystones was a small club of black baseball players formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota running from approximately 1908 to 1911.
Rafael D. Almeida was a Major League Baseball third baseman from 1911 to 1913 with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cleveland Tate Stars were a Negro league baseball team from 1919 through 1923. They played as an independent (non-affiliated) team from 1919 through 1921, and joined the Negro National League in 1922. In their only season as a full-fledged league member, they finished last of eight clubs with a reported 17-29 record in league play.
The Indianapolis Athletics were a Negro league baseball team in the Negro American League, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1937. Ted Strong was their player-manager. After their only season in 1937, they were replaced by the Indianapolis ABCs.
Rogelio Valdés was a Cuban baseball player in the Cuban League and Negro leagues. He played from 1899 to 1917 with several ballclubs, including Almendares, Habana, Cuban Stars (West), and the All Cubans. He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
Juan Violá (1883–1919) was a Cuban baseball player in the Cuban League, Negro leagues and the minor leagues. He played from 1902 to 1915 with several ballclubs, including Almendares, the Habana club, the Long Branch Cubans, and the Jacksonville Jays. He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.
Robert "Rab Roy" Gaston was an American baseball catcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1932 to 1948, mostly with the Homestead Grays. He spent the majority of his career as the backup catcher to Josh Gibson.
Booker Taliaferro McDaniels was an American baseball pitcher in the Negro leagues. He played from 1940 to 1946, and again in 1949 with the Kansas City Monarchs. He also played for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League in 1949 and 1950. McDaniels died of throat cancer.
José Agustín "Tinti" Molina Becerra was a baseball catcher, first baseman and manager in the Cuban League and Negro leagues. He played and managed from 1894 to 1931 with several ballclubs. He managed Almendares, Habana, and the Cuban Stars (West). Molina was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942.
The Little Rock Grays were a Negro league baseball team in the Negro Southern League, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1932. The 1932 Negro Southern League is considered a "major league" by Major League Baseball.
References
- ↑ Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues . New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
