In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Jimmy Rollins

The Philadelphia Phillies selected Jimmy Rollins in the second round of the 1996 MLB Draft from Encinal High School in Alameda, California. Before establishing himself as a Major League All-Star, Most Valuable Player and World Series Champion, he made the steady climb through the minors and reached Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his fourth professional year.

Rollins played four games for the Red Barons in 1999 in his first call-up. He returned in 2000 for 133 games before making his big-league debut on September 17. “J-Roll” hit .274 during his last season in Triple-A with 12 home runs and 69 runs batted in, helping pace the Red Barons to an 85-win campaign and a trip to the International League postseason.

Rollins played 2,275 games in the Majors, spanning 17 seasons, and closed with a career .264 average, 231 home runs and 936 runs batted in. He was a Silver Slugger during his 2007 National League MVP season, claimed four Gold Gloves over his career and was a three-time All-Star.

In 2019, Rollins was tabbed for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s All-Time Team as part of their 30th Anniversary Season celebration.

Read the rest of the series:

Part One: Celebrating Marlon Anderson

Part Two: Celebrating Ryan Howard

Part Three: Celebrating Aaron Judge

Part Four: Celebrating Wendell Magee

In addition to the five players profiled this month, many other players merited consideration for their work on and off the field or in the community, including Tony Barron, Kim Batiste, Bobby Estalella, 2009 IL Rookie of the Year Austin Jackson, Kevin Jordan, IL Hall-of-Famer Billy McMillon, DJ Mitchell and Mason Williams.

 

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Wendell Magee

Wendell Magee was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 12th round of the 1994 draft out of Samford University. The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, native was never picked for his high school baseball team but went on to play football and baseball in college. After an athletic career that saw him inducted into both Pearl River Community College and Stamford’s respective Halls of Fame, Magee embarked on a 12-year professional baseball career.

Magee dominated in his first two years of pro ball and reached Triple-A in 1996. After 71 games with Reading, the Phillies promoted Magee to the Red Barons, where he appeared in 44 games and batted .284. The Phillies gave him a first-look at the bigs that season as well.

The outfielder spent the bulk of the next three summers with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Magee found his stride in 1998 and 1999 for the Red Barons, hitting a combined .286 over 268 games with 44 home runs and 151 combined runs batted in during those two seasons for skipper Marc Bombard.

The Phillies traded Magee to Detroit in 2000 and he appeared in nearly 300 games for the Tigers over the next few years, including spending the bulk of 2002 as their starting centerfielder. He was reacquired by Philadelphia in 2003 in a deal with Cleveland. Magee returned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and hit .333 over 25 games before the Phillies released him.

Magee spent seven seasons in the Majors where he held a .244 average, but his time with the Red Barons and in Triple-A truly set him apart from the pack. In 420 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he hit .281. His 65 home runs for the Red Barons ranks second all-time in franchise history.

Read the rest of the series:

Part One: Celebrating Marlon Anderson

Part Two: Celebrating Ryan Howard

Part Three: Celebrating Aaron Judge

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Aaron Judge

The New York Yankees selected Aaron Judge with the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Fresno State University. His meteoric rise saw him conquer A-ball in 2014, combining for 17 home runs over 131 games with Charleston and Tampa. In 2015, Judge split the season between Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, launching 20 home runs over 124 total games while driving in 72. He also garnered a starting spot as the designated hitter in the 2015 Futures Game.

Judge opened the 2016 campaign in a RailRiders uniform, spending four and a half months patrolling the outfield at PNC Field and around the International League. Judge hit .270, including .343 in June alone, and tallied 19 home runs with 65 runs driven in as an IL All-Star before the Yankees called him to the Majors. The RailRiders were 75-44 at the time of Judge’s MLB debut, well on their way to the league crown, and ultimately, the Triple-A National Championship.

In 2017, Judge was the unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year. His first full season in the Majors produced a .284 average, a league-best 52 home runs and 114 runs batted in. He was tabbed as an All-Star for the first of three times in his still-young career and finished second in AL MVP voting.

In 2019, Judge was tabbed for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s All-Time Team as part of their 30th Anniversary Season celebration.

In six Major League seasons, Judge has hit 158 home runs over 572 games and built a following across the sport with his power and his charisma. So much so that the Judge’s Chambers in right field at Yankee Stadium are all ready to rise with one swing of his bat.

Read the rest of the series:

Part One: Celebrating Marlon Anderson

Part Two: Celebrating Ryan Howard

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Ryan Howard

The Philadelphia Phillies tabbed Ryan Howard in the fifth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Missouri State University. After 85 home runs in over his first three and a half seasons, including 37 for the Reading Phillies over 102 games in 2004, Howard was promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He closed 2004 with nine more home runs and his first call to Philadelphia.

After capturing the Joe Baumann Award in 2004 with 46 home runs to lead all Minor Leaguers, Howard began 2005 in Moosic. He hit four home runs and drove in 14 over his first 23 games of the year and carried a .316 average to a second MLB call. After three weeks up with the Phillies, he returned to the Red Barons and mashed. In June, Howard hit .420 with six home runs and 27 batted in. He was recalled in early July and never looked back. All told, he batted .336 over 90 games in two years with the Red Barons with 25 home runs and 83 runs batted in. Howard closed 2005 with 22 home runs in the Majors and drove in 63 over 88 games with Philadelphia, claiming the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Howard was a staple at first base for the Phillies over the next decade. “The Big Piece” won the 2006 NL MVP Award with a Phillies franchise-record 58 home runs, a .313 average and 149 runs batted in. In addition, Howard was a three-time MLB All-Star, a Silver Slugger and claimed NLCS MVP honors in 2008 before the Phillies won the World Series. He closed his career with 382 home runs and 1,194 runs batted in during his 13-year Major League career.

In 2019, Howard was tabbed for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s All-Time Team as part of their 30th Anniversary Season celebration.

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are looking back at some of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers from across the sport went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Over the month, we will highlight some of the best Black baseball players to ever suit up for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Marlon Anderson

The Philadelphia Phillies tabbed Marlon Anderson with a second-round pick in the 1995 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Alabama. After three years in the Minors, Anderson spent the entire 1998 season with the Red Barons and flourished.

Anderson appeared in 136 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 1998, batting .306 with 32 doubles, 14 triples, 16 home runs, 86 runs batted in and 24 stolen bases. For this effort, he was voted Rookie of the Year by the International League. Anderson is one of only four players in franchise history who have earned that lofty distinction. He was recalled by the Phillies later that season and made his Major League debut in September.

After spending the 1999 season in the Majors, Philadelphia placed Anderson back on the Red Barons roster in 2000 for 103 games. His second year in Triple-A produced similar results, including a .305 batting average and IL Midseason and Postseason All-Star nods.

Anderson played 12 years in the Majors, spending time with Tampa Bay, St. Louis, the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over 1,151 games, he held a career .265 batting average.