A Look at the Top Five Black Players in Barons History

 

In recognition of Black History Month and the newly launched MiLB outreach program, The Nine, the Barons, in addition to teams across Minor League Baseball, are highlighting the top five Black players in team history. Birmingham, Alabama’s rich history of baseball dates back to 1885 and has seen many talented and accomplished players pass through on the way to Major League success.

The first four nominees come from a notable chapter of Birmingham’s baseball history, the Birmingham Black Barons, who played for over 40 years alongside their white counterpart from the West End Park known as the “Slag Pile,” to the famous Rickwood Field. The Black Barons played in various iterations of Negro Leagues, from the minor league level Negro Southern League, to a more stable placement in Negro American League, the highest level of Negro League baseball.

At a time predating the civil rights movement and active segregation, the Black Barons saw their own success with the Black community of Birmingham, often drawing larger crowds to Rickwood Field than the Barons. White fans were encouraged to attend Black Barons games, which were held while the Barons were on the road, suggesting a relatively amicable affiliation between the two franchises amid the tenuous racial atmosphere of the time.

The 1948 Black Barons were one of the most successful teams of the Negro Leagues and saw many players drafted by Major League teams following the breaking of the color barrier by Jackie Robinson in 1947. Despite the positive progress of a newly racially integrated league and recognition of player talent regardless of race, this inadvertently resulted in the 1948 Negro World Series between the Birmingham Barons and the Homestead Grays being the last of its kind before the disbandment of the Negro National League.

Certainly one of the most widely recognized players across baseball, Willie Mays began his storied career in 1948 with the Negro minor league Chattanooga Choo-Choos before joining the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League and playing in the final true World Series of the Negro Leagues. At just 16, Mays had not yet graduated high school and juggled Barons home games with high school football. During his time with the Black Barons, from 1948 to 1950, his fielding and speed on the bases caught the attention of several Major League teams, who waited until he had graduated high school before offering him a contract. Mays eventually signed with the New York Giants and went on to have a legendary career that included titles of Rookie of the Year (1951), World Series champion and MVP (1954), numerous recognitions as an All-Star (24 appearances), Gold Glove awards (12) and countless more, culminating in his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.

Another member of the 1948 roster, Rev. Bill Greason has a legacy that extends beyond baseball; just prior to his baseball career, a military enlistment in World War II with the all-Black 66th Supply Platoon put him in the action of the Pacific Theater of the war, including the Battle of Iwo Jima. Greason, a pitcher, played for the Black Barons from 1948 to 1951, before he was acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals as the second Black player on their roster in 1954. He retired in 1959 after a handful of years with the Cardinals minor league affiliates. He studied ministry at Birmingham Baptist College and Samford University following baseball and remained engaged with the Birmingham community as a member of the historical 16th Street Baptist Church and a pastor of Bethel Baptist Church.

Lorenzo “Piper” Davis, nicknamed for his hometown of Piper, Alabama, played for the Black Barons beginning in 1942, following a stint in Alabama’s Coal and Iron League. During his time in Birmingham, he was noted for strong fielding, recognized as a versatile player comfortable at any position in the infield with a keen ability to complete double plays. After helping the Black Barons earn consecutive pennants in 1943 and 1944, Davis transitioned to a playing-manager in 1948 and led the team to the Negro League World Series with a young Willie Mays and Bill Greason under his leadership. Davis strongly influenced Mays’ style of playing, notably his field positioning and his approach to hitting curveballs. As Mays was only 16 when he began playing for the Black Barons, Davis ensured his focus was on schoolwork and did not allow him to make road trips with the team during the school year. Following the 1948 Negro League World Series loss, Davis moved between affiliated ball with the Boston Red Sox, the Black Barons, the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League and the Chicago Cubs system. Davis’ career ended at the Double-A level of the Cubs organization in 1958.

While he never reached Major League Baseball like his contemporaries Mays and Greason, his style of leadership and influence certainly played a role in their success. He commanded respect and encouraged his players and teammates to exhibit great character on and off the field. While better known for his baseball skill, Davis was a two-sport athlete, playing for the Harlem Globetrotters for three winters during his tenure with the Barons and also spent significant time in the Latin American winter leagues.

Before Mays, Greason, and Davis, another Negro League legend passed through Birmingham, though briefly, from 1927 to 1930: Leroy “Satchel” Paige. While his reputation as a star pitcher with a tendency to goad opposing batters wasn’t fully exhibited in Birmingham, fans of the Black Barons and beyond were witness to his maturation as a pitcher and the beginnings of his acclaimed career. During his time with the Black Barons, Paige met or broke the strikeout records of major league players, recording 17 strikeouts against the Cuban Stars and 18 strikeouts against the Nashville Elite Giants in the same week of April 1929. Paige, individually, was a draw for crowds and was rented out to other teams by then Barons owner, R.T. Jackson, with equal financial benefit to both parties.

Paige would spend 1930 through 1948 in the Negro Leagues playing with the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Kansas City Monarchs, and Philadelphia Stars, among others, in addition to several Latin American league teams. It was during these years that he flourished and was prone to his more outlandish antics, such as pulling his outfielders in to watch as he struck out opposing batters or intentionally walking two batters in order to reach Josh Gibson, a well-known dangerous hitter, with the sole, and eventually successful, goal of striking him out.

He eventually brought his talents to the major league level with the Cleveland Indians in 1948, a season in which he would be the first Black pitcher in the American League, the seventh Black player in the majors overall, the oldest player to debut at 42 years of age, and ultimately a World Series champion. He went on to play briefly for the St. Louis Browns, but his time there was marred by dwindling stats that signaled the decline of his career. After some time with a handful of minor league teams, he played his last game with the Triple-A Portland Beavers at age 55. Four years later, Paige was signed to a one-day contract with Charles O. Finley’s Kansas City A’s, where he was brought onto the field in the fourth inning for a standing ovation and a crowd-led rendition of “The Old Gray Mare.” His place in baseball history was cemented in 1971 with his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In addition to signing Satchel Paige, albeit for a single day, Charles O. Finley was also responsible for bringing Reggie Jackson to Birmingham with his signing in 1966. Jackson, with Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, and Dave Duncan, moved through the A’s system from Modesto and arrived in Birmingham in 1967. He got a taste of the majors with a midseason call up to Kansas City, but was sent back down to the Barons to finish the season after a disappointing debut. Despite the full racial integration of the major leagues by the 1960s, Jackson still faced the challenges of being a Black player in the south and was encouraged and bolstered by Barons coach John McNamara regarding his experiences on and off the field. He started the 1968 season in Oakland, where Finley had relocated the A’s, and helped the team to three straight World Series titles. He continued his major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, California Angels, and returned to Oakland for a single season in 1987 to end his professional playing career.

Jackson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993 and had his numbers, 44 and 9, retired by the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics, respectively.

Willie Mays, Bill Greason, Piper Davis, Satchel Paige, and Reggie Jackson are only five of the numerous Black players that have played in Birmingham, each of them with their own unique experience of navigating their playing careers at different points in history and the varying effects of how their race affected their careers. These five paved the way for future Black players who have made their mark on Barons history and will usher in future generations of players to make their own name in the history and tradition of baseball in Birmingham and beyond.

“The Nine” – The great Royals teams of the ’70s & ’80s needed Willie Wilson and Frank White

 

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club. On February 1, the Jumbo Shrimp unveiled five of the best Black players to ever suit up for Jacksonville, plus a legendary Negro leagues star with ties to the city.

Here is a deeper look at Willie Wilson and Frank White, two of the best Black players in Jacksonville history.

Even now, the names still roll off the tongue so easily, like burnt ends from Arthur Bryant’s getting washed down with an ice-cold Boulevard brew. George Brett. Amos Otis. Willie Wilson. Frank White. Hal McRae. Dan Quisenberry. John Mayberry.

Anyone who pictures those great Kansas City Royals teams – and wow, were they great – from the 1970s and ‘80s can remember the audacious baserunning, the airtight defense and the winning. In those days, the Royals won. A lot.

In the 15 seasons from 1975-89, Kansas City earned six division titles, two American League pennants and the 1985 World Series championship. The Royals won at least 90 games eight times, finishing with a winning record in all but two full seasons (they were also 50-53 in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.)

Over the 32 seasons since, the Royals, outside of the 2014 AL pennant and the 2015 World Series title, have mostly been not just bad, but atrocious. They’ve suffered 15 90-loss seasons, 10 times losing more than 95 games and six campaigns with at least 100 defeats. They’ve posted only six winning seasons, earning a division title just once.

In the minds of young fans, the Royals of the past three-plus decades have mostly been just a blip on the baseball horizon, a flyover for an easy series win. It’s the older fans who can recall the special style that stood out from cutting-edge roster construction of Kansas City’s winning days before then.

Perhaps most remarkably, on teams known for terrific defense, the Royals’ top two defensive players either did not even play a remotely similar position, or baseball at all, in high school. Wilson was a catcher at Summit High School in New Jersey. White attended Lincoln High School in Kansas City, which did not have a baseball team. White was only discovered post-graduation at a tryout for the Royals’ Baseball Academy.

With the Royals, the pair became known for the club’s bedrock stellar up-the-middle defense, with Wilson starring in center field and White anchoring second base.

Willie Wilson still places 12th all-time in stolen bases in MLB history.

Wilson had two idols growing up: Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Manny Sanguillen, which made Wilson want to play catcher at Summit, and Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers. Wilson’s football coach arranged for Sayers to visit Wilson in the hospital when Wilson was recovering from a foot injury. A part of championship teams in both baseball and football in high school, Wilson’s athletic prowess, at least partially inspired by his sports heroes, helped him earn an athletic scholarship to the University of Maryland.

However, after Kansas City used its first-round pick on Wilson in 1974, he opted to sign with the Royals for $90,000, using some of that money to pay off the bills that his single mother had accrued.

The Royals immediately moved Wilson to the outfield, where, learning a new position and facing more accomplished pitchers, he initially struggled. Still, despite posting a meager .663 OPS, Billy Scripture, his manager for the Rookie-level GCL Royals and later the skipper of the 1975-76 Jacksonville Suns, immediately recognized the type of talent Kansas City was trying to develop, telling reporters that “having Wilson in center field was like having four outfielders.”

After leading the Class A Midwest League in hits (132), setting a league record with 76 stolen bases and earning the circuit’s Player of the Year award while with Waterloo in 1975, Wilson moved up to Double-A Jacksonville for the 1976 season. Wilson hit .253/.309/.325 with the Suns and made his major league debut in September of that year. In 1977, Wilson converted to become a switch-hitter and played mostly with Triple-A Omaha before reaching the big leagues for good late in that campaign.

Wilson’s 19-year career was often breathtaking for fans to take in. He was a two-time All-Star, earned two Silver Slugger Awards and one Gold Glove Award, won the 1982 American League batting title (.332), set a league and club record in 1979 with 83 stolen bases and also set all-time Royals records with 612 steals and a preposterous 13 inside-the-park home runs.

After 15 seasons with Kansas City, Wilson ended his career in 1994 following two years apiece on the Oakland A’s and Chicago Cubs. He compiled 2,207 career hits and 46.1 bWAR, with his 668 career steals still ranking him 12th all-time in MLB history. A Royals icon, Wilson earned induction into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2000.

Despite not playing in high school, Frank White became one of the greatest defensive second basemen of all-time.

While Wilson was a first-round pick, with the Royals clearly seeing he had the potential for stardom, White was not drafted at all. Though White had wanted to play baseball, he simply did not think it was something he was good enough to get paid for as a professional. “I dreamed about it, but you dream about a lot of things that never happen,” he later said.

When Kansas City announced tryouts for the Royals’ Baseball Academy, a flagship program that sought to refine the skills of athletically-gifted prospects who had been neglected by other major league teams because they had not played much baseball in high school or college, White did not even plan to attend. He figured he would not be able to get off work, but Hall of Famer Hilton Smith, who coached his Safeway grocery sandlot team, and Bill Rowan, his high school science teacher and basketball coach, convinced White to find a way to attend.

On the first day of the tryout, White shined among the roughly 300 other applicants. However, with a wife and baby to support at home, he was crushed during the event when he overheard that the plan was to only send unmarried players to the Academy. White left the tryout thinking his baseball career was over.

Only then, something miraculous happened. While at his parents’ house, a limousine belonging to Royals owner Ewing Kauffman pulled up. The owner was not inside, but he had sent the limo so that he could speak with White on its car phone. Kauffman offered White a spot in the Academy and his wife a job in the camp’s ticket office so that the family could move and White could start a professional baseball career. White agreed to the offer.

As a graduate of the Royals’ Baseball Academy, White was one of eight players on the 1971 GCL Royals who had never played an inning of high school baseball. He spent time with both Class A San Jose and Double-A Jacksonville in 1972, slashing .252/.316/.318 with 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts over 91 games with the Suns. Sadly, though, he dealt with far more on his plate off the field than just simply learning how to play the game. As the only Black player with Jacksonville at the time, his teammates would bring him food and drinks while White remained on the bus at various stops to road games across the South. White often was not allowed in restaurants.

White moved back to the Midwest for the 1973 season to play for Omaha and made his major league debut later that season. He would spend the next 18 years at the keystone for Kansas City, earning eight Gold Glove Awards, five All-Star appearances and a Silver Slugger Award. White’s No. 20 was retired by the Royals in 1995, the same year he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

The honors and accolades tell quite the story for someone who didn’t even play baseball in high school. But it’s one thing to have a fairytale career and earn several accolades and awards. It’s another to do it with the utmost respect from your peers.

So then, how good was Frank White, according to his legendary teammate George Brett? “It`s like that song by Carly Simon,” Brett once said. “‘Nobody Does It Better.’”

Power Hitter, Prince Fielder, Leads Top Black Players In Beloit Baseball History

 

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout the month of February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club.
While some of these standout performers went on long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout the month of February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers went on 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.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up in Beloit’s 40-year history.

PRINCE FIELDER

Less than two months after first baseman Prince Fielder was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers as the seventh overall pick in 2002 – straight out of high school in Melbourne, Fla. – he already leaped a classification to play for the former Beloit Snappers in the Midwest League.

In 32 games during the second half of the 2002 season, he batted .241 with 11 RBI and three homers. But the following year in Beloit was Fielder’s ascension into stardom. It would lead to following his father, 13-year MLB veteran Cecil Fielder, into the big leagues.

With father and son sharing an apartment in Beloit, Prince Fielder exploded in 2003 with a .313 batting average and .526 slugging percentage in 137 games. He bashed 27 homers, 22 doubles and drove in 112 runs during his 594 plate appearances. It became his best full-season numbers of his minor league career.

He was part of the 2004 Futures Game while in Double-A.

In 2005, he made his debut with the Brewers. That launched an MLB career that included being a six-time MLB All-Star and his name placed on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2021 for the first time, after retiring in 2016.

GREG VAUGHN

After being drafted for the fifth different time, this time by the Brewers as the fourth overall pick in 1986 as a college player for the Miami Hurricanes, Vaughn played the entire 1987 season in Beloit.

He posted his best numbers with Beloit of his minor league career, batting .305 in 139 games with a team record 33 homers and 105 RBI. He also scored a then-record 120 runs. The team back then was the Beloit Brewers as Milwaukee’s Class A affiliate.

He collected 150 hits in 492 at-bats, along, including 31 doubles and 36 stolen bases. It equated into a .594 slugging percentage and 1.018 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).

Following that 1987 season, Vaughn was named Midwest League co-MVP. Two years later, Vaughn began his 15-year MLB career. In 1993, he became the first Beloit player to play in an MLB All-Star Game.

RICKIE WEEKS JR.

Though he played just 20 games for the Beloit Snappers in 2003, Rickie Weeks Jr. left quite an impression.

Weeks became the second overall pick by the Brewers in the 2003 draft, following his sterling college career at Southern University. Prior to becoming a pro, Weeks was named Baseball America College Player of the Year in 2003 and winner of Golden Spikes Award as top amateur player.

Primarily a second baseman, Weeks collected 22 hits in 63 at-bats with Beloit in 2003, including eight doubles and 16 RBI, along with 15 walks for a .349 average, .556 slugging percentage and 1.050 OPS. Later that season, Weeks made his MLB debut with the Brewers on Sept. 15, 2003.

*Nicknamed “Slick,” Weeks became an MLB All-Star in 2011 with the Brewers. He later played for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays before retirement. *

BILL HALL

After two years in Rookie League, Bill Hall played his first full, minor-league season in 2000 with Beloit. He batted .262 with 30 doubles and 41 RBI for the Beloit Brewers.

That season led into him making his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 1, 2002. He has distinction of playing for six different teams in an 11-year MLB career.

In September 2019, seven years after his last MLB game, the Brewers signed Hall to a one-day contract which enabled him to retire as a Brewer. It was Hall’s wish to do so, crediting the Brewers for giving him the opportunity to play pro baseball as a kid from a small country town in Nettleton, Mississippi.

Hall was a sixth round pick by the Brewers in 1998 out of high school in Nettleton, Miss. He wound up being a solid utility player in the big leagues, playing three different infield positions (third base, shortstop, second base). He later became part of the Brewers Wall of Honor.

BEN REVERE

While on a fast path to the big leagues, Ben Revere was part of Beloit’s affiliation with the Minnesota Twins when the outfielder was chosen in the first round (28th** overall) in the 2007 draft.

He played 83 games for Beloit in 2008, posting the highest batting average (.379) and slugging percentage (.497) of his professional career. He had 129 hits and 43 RBI. His totals included 19 triples and 17 doubles along with 169 total bases that year.

That special season with the Beloit Snappers included Revere being named the Midwest League Player of the Year and Prospect of the Year, after chosen for both mid-season and post-season ML All-Star teams. He received the Sherry Robertson Award as the Twins minor league player of the year.

Baseball America chose him as a High-A All-Star following the season and the Twins’ second best prospect at that time.

*Revere made his MLB debut with the Twins in September 2010. He then played eight MLB seasons for five different teams. *

Black History Month: A Look at the Top Five Players in Chiefs History

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

While some of these standout performers went onto 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.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for the Peoria Chiefs.

JOSH HARRISON

A do-it-all, versatile player, Josh Harrison has carved out quite the niche in his professional career. The now 34-year-old played in 110 contests with the Chiefs over the course of two seasons. His 2009 campaign served as a breakout year for the Cincinnati, Ohio native. In 79 games, he hit .337 with four homers, while striking out in just 7% of his at-bats. Harrison was traded from the Cubs to the Pirates in July of 2009 and later made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh in 2011. Harrison’s best season came in 2014, when he made his first career All-Star Game. He finished ninth in MVP voting, posting a .315 batting average with 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases. He tacked on a second ASG appearance in 2017, thanks in large part to his 16 home runs, a career-high. Harrison spent 2021 with the Nationals and the A’s. He is currently a free agent.

ALEX REYES

After battling injuries, Alex Reyes burst onto the scene in 2021. Reyes made 69 appearances for the Cardinals last season and recorded an impressive 10 wins out of the bullpen. The right-hander collected 29 saves and set a Major League record by converting the first 24 saves of his career. Reyes has always been a highly-touted hurler and served as Baseball Prospectus’ top-ranked prospect in their 2017 preseason rankings. Reyes, who was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, spent the 2014 season with the Chiefs as a 19-year-old. In 21 starts, Reyes went 7-7 with a 3.62 ERA, while striking out 137 batters in 109.1 innings.

COCO CRISP

Coco Crisp, a widely-respected veteran, spent 15 seasons with four Major League teams and suited up for more than 1,500 career games. Crisp collected 1,572 career hits and mashed 130 career home runs, including 22 with the Oakland A’s in 2013. He posted three seasons with 30+ stolen bases and swiped 49 bags in 2011, tied for the American League lead. Crisp’s stay in Peoria was a brief one. The Los Angeles native played just 27 games for the Chiefs in 2000, but posted a .377 on-base percentage in that timeframe. After being named the Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year in 2001, Crisp was traded to Cleveland in 2002. He parlayed the trade into stints with Cleveland, Boston, Kansas City and Oakland.

JACK FLAHERTY

Flaherty, the now ace of the Cardinals pitching staff, played his first full season of professional baseball with the Chiefs in 2015. Flaherty dominated Midwest League hitters, posting a 9-3 record with a 2.84 ERA. After moving through the ranks, Flaherty made his MLB debut in 2017. After a fine 2018 season with St, Louis, the Burbank, California native put the rest of the league on notice in 2019. Flaherty went 11-8 and sported a sparkling 2.75 ERA. He finished fourth in the race for the National League Cy Young award after whiffing 231 batters in 196.1 innings pitched. Flaherty overcame two IL stints in 2021 to post a solid 9-2 record last season. The 26-year-old will look to build on his early success in 2022.

DEVON WHITE

Few players in Chiefs history can boast a more impressive resume than Devon White. Born in Jamaica, White moved to the United States as a kid and was drafted by the California Angels in the sixth round of the 1981 draft. As a 20-year-old, he flashed some serious potential with the Chiefs in 1983. The speedy outfielder stole 32 bases and hit 13 home runs in the process. After making his MLB debut in 1985, White quickly became known for his unique mix of speed, power and defense. Over the span of a 17-year Major League career, White swiped 346 bases, with five seasons of 30 or more stolen bases.He hit 208 homers, and racked up seven Gold Gloves, including a stretch of five in a row from 1991-1995. In addition to his individual success, White won three World Series titles in his distinguished career, including back-to-back trophies with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993.

The Nine: Jemile Weeks

 

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

While some of these standout performers 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.”

Here is the third installment of five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for the Sacramento River Cats.

Former Sacramento River Cats second baseman Jemile Weeks is one of the fastest players in River Cats history.

The speedy switch-hitter had a standout career at the University of Miami before going 12th overall to the Oakland A’s in the 2008 MLB Draft.

The professional game did not slow Weeks down.

After making the Futures Game in his first full professional season, Weeks impressed in the Arizona Fall League, being named a Player of the Week and Rising Star while earning a spot on the All-Prospect Team.

He arrived in Sacramento in 2011, posting a .417 on-base percentage through his first 45 Triple-A games.

Weeks turned that hot start into an MLB debut, where he had an impressive June, winning American League Rookie of the Month.

He played parts of six MLB seasons with Oakland, Baltimore, Boston, and San Diego, hitting .254 with 121 runs, 45 doubles, 18 triples, 62 RBIs, and 41 stolen bases in 260 games.

In 185 games for Sacramento from 2011-2013, Weeks hit .287 with 131 runs, 29 doubles, seven home runs, 72 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and is tied for third all time in team history with 14 triples.

Weeks continues to make an impact off the field as the executive director for the nonprofit organization WeFam United, Inc., located in Orlando, Florida. WeFam United aims to “change the narrative of our underserved youth.”

Listen to Weeks talk about WeFam United, his time in Sacramento, his MLB draft experience, and more on episode 13 of the River Cats Nine Lives Podcast.

Black History Month: Top Players During OKC’s Indians/89ers Era (Part 1)

In celebration of Black History Month, teams across Minor League Baseball are honoring some of the best Black players in their respective histories.

The retrospective for Oklahoma City originally was supposed to be a two-part series, but it soon became apparent there were several players worth recognizing and has been expanded to three parts. After covering the top players of the team’s Bricktown era, it’s time to explore the notable Black players of the Oklahoma City Indians and 89ers eras over the course of two installments.

Players were selected based on a combination of individual season and career achievements while playing for Oklahoma City, as well as their Major League careers. They are presented below in chronological order.

Bill Greason (Pitcher; 1952–53)

Greason is the most significant player on this list, as he was the first Black athlete to ever play for an Oklahoma City team. He previously played in the Negro Leagues, and in 1948, played for the Birmingham Black Barons alongside Willie Mays.

Greason was signed by the Indians when the franchise was part of the Texas League and he played for Oklahoma City across two seasons in 1952 and 1953. He made a total of 48 appearances, including 44 starts, going 25–14 with a 3.26 ERA.

Greason’s success with the Indians led him to being signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, and in 1954, he became the Cardinals’ second-ever Black player and first-ever Black pitcher. He did not return to the Major Leagues after a three-game stint in that 1954 season, but he continued to play professionally through 1959.

In 2017, Greason was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

Dave Roberts (Outfielder/First Baseman; 1962–65)

Not to be mistaken for the current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Roberts played in parts of each of the first four seasons for the 89ers between 1962–65, winning Pacific Coast League titles in 1963 and 1965. During the team’s inaugural 1962 campaign, Roberts led the team in nearly every offensive category, batting .322 with 15 home runs, 96 RBI, 86 runs scored and a league-leading 38 doubles.

His 1965 season is arguably the greatest ever by an Oklahoma City player. Roberts was named the PCL’s MVP that season, compiling a batting line of .319/.428/.615 while belting a league-best and team-record 38 home runs, with 114 RBI, 102 runs, 64 extra-base hits and 94 walks.

During his Oklahoma City career, Roberts played in 466 games and batted .309 with 74 homers, 99 doubles and 326 RBI.

He only appeared in a total of 91 games in the Majors with Houston and Pittsburgh, unfortunately unable to replicate his Triple-A success. Roberts spent the final seven seasons of his playing career in Japan, totaling 183 home runs and 492 RBI. The entirety of his professional career spanned 22 seasons between 1952–73, and he retired with 433 home runs and over 1,500 RBI.

Jimmy Wynn (Outfielder; 1964)

Affectionately known as “The Toy Cannon” due to his small stature but big power and strong throwing arm, Wynn played one season for Oklahoma City in 1964, batting .273 with 10 home runs, 40 RBI and 13 steals across 82 games. It would be the last time he ever played in the Minor Leagues.

Wynn played 15 seasons in the Majors, including 11 seasons with Houston. Wynn is a member of the Astros Hall of Fame, and his No. 24 was retired by the club in 2005. Wynn was named a National All-Star three times, including twice as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974–75. During his first season in Dodger Blue in 1974, Wynn set the team single-season home run record with 32.

Throughout this MLB career, Wynn racked up 1,665 hits, 1,105 runs scored, 291 home runs and 964 RBI.

Sonny Jackson (Infielder; 1965)

Jackson spent 1965 with the 89ers and was the regular starting shortstop for a team that went 91–54 in the regular season — still the best record in OKC’s Triple-A history — and eventually won the PCL Championship.

His 193 hits led the league and remains one of the highest single-season outputs in team history. Jackson also ranked second in the league with 104 runs while batting .331 with a .382 on-base percentage. He also stole 52 bases, placing second in the PCL.

Jackson played parts of 12 seasons in the Majors between 1963–74 with Houston and Atlanta. In 1966, he led the Astros with a .292 batting average and 174 hits while setting a then-National League rookie record with 49 stolen bases.

Nate Colbert (Outfielder/First Baseman; 1967–68)

Colbert briefly played two games for the 89ers in 1967 before returning for 92 games in 1968. He batted .264 with 14 home runs and 44 RBI while also appearing in 20 games for Houston throughout the season. He provided a memorable home opener at All Sports Stadium that year, knocking a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning against Phoenix.

Prior to the 1969 season, Colbert was selected by San Diego in the expansion draft. He rose to become one of the faces of the Padres’ nascent franchise, hitting 163 home runs over his six seasons with the club, including two campaigns with 38 homers. Through 2021, he still holds San Diego’s career home run record. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the Padres Hall of Fame in 1999.

Colbert made the NL All-Star Team in three straight seasons from 1971–73 and played in a total of 10 seasons in the Majors, also seeing time with Houston, Montreal, Detroit and Oakland.

_____

Remember, this series is not complete yet, with six more players yet to be recognized. The final installment will be published the week of Feb. 21.

(_All photos used in this article are courtesy of the Oklahoma City Dodgers’ archives._)

Curve Join Minor League Baseball in Celebration of Black History Month: Andrew McCutchen

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club.
While some of these standout performers went on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great

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

While some of these standout performers 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.”

After taking a look back at the careers of LHP Shane Youman and speedster Rajai Davis, we move to one of the most popular Curve players of all time, Andrew McCutchen.

OF Andrew McCutchen (2006-07)

One of the most popular players in Altoona’s franchise history, Andrew McCutchen has gone onto a brilliant major league career with Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New York (AL) and Philadelphia.

Drafted 11th overall in 2005 by the Pirates out of Fort Meade HS in Fort Meade, Florida, McCutchen immediately became one of the top prospects in the organization and overall, in baseball. Prior to the 2006 season, Baseball America named McCutchen the #50 prospect in the minors as he embarked on his first full-season campaign as a professional, opening the season with Single-A Hickory where he was named an SAL All-Star and earned a late-season promotion to Altoona. Reaching Double-A as a 19-year-old, McCutchen continued his dominance at the plate by hitting .308 in the final 20 games of the regular season and aiding the Curve to a fourth straight postseason appearance. Despite being the youngest player to suit up for the Curve at 19 years, ten months and five days, McCutchen picked up four hits in a five-game postseason series with Akron; a series won by the Aeros with a 5-2 decision in the decisive fifth game.

McCutchen returned to Altoona as the Opening Day Center Fielder and immediately put together an All-Start worthy campaign in the Eastern League. Named as a top-15 prospect in the minors by both Baseball America and _Baseball Prospectus_, McCutchen showed off an impressive power/speed combination with 33 extra base hits and 17 stolen bases in 118 games while batting .258 with a .327 on-base percentage while playing as one of the youngest players in the league. At just 20 years-old, McCutchen was named an Eastern League All-Star and earned a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis late in the season. Combined in 2007, he batted .265/.329/.388 with 11 home runs and 21 stolen bases. After the season he played for the Phoenix Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League and was named a Rising Star and to the AFL’s All-Prospect Team.

After a Futures Game appearance in 2008, McCutchen finally reached Pittsburgh to make his Major League debut after 49 games in Indianapolis to start the 2009 campaign. Following a June 3 trade of center fielder Nate McLouth to Atlanta, the Pirates recalled McCutchen and he singled in his first career at bat off Mets starter Mike Pelfrey to begin a two-hit day at the plate and lead the Pirates to an 11-6 win at PNC Park. McCutchen’s rookie campaign saw him finish fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting after he batted .286/.365/.471 with 26 doubles, nine triples, 12 home runs and 54 runs batted in.

McCutchen blossomed into one of the National League’s brightest stars in his nine seasons in Pittsburgh. 2011 marked the first of five consecutive All-Star Game selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, a 2012 Gold Award and in 2013 he earned the National League MVP Award; becoming the first Pirate to claim the award since Barry Bonds in 1992. McCutchen secured 28 of 30 first place votes in the MVP voting batting a sensational .336 from April 30 to the end of the regular season, the best mark in the league. McCutchen was one of three National League players to rank in the top-seven in batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.404), and slugging percentage (.508) and led the Pirates to their first postseason appearance since 1992, defeating Cincinnati in a one-game Wild Card Playoff before meeting fellow NL Central rival, St. Louis in the Divisional Round. The Cardinals pitching staff proved to be too much for Pittsburgh, who could manage only two runs over the final two games of the series, in a five-game series. McCutchen and the Pirates remained one of the NL’s best teams in 2014 earning a second straight postseason appearance, but again ran into elite pitching as San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner delivered a four-hit shutout at PNC Park to lead the Giants to an 8-0 win over the Pirates in the National League Wild Card Game.

A model of consistency, McCutchen homered at least 20 times in each of his final seven seasons with the Pirates. In nine seasons total in the Steel City, McCutchen batted .291/.379/.487 with 203 home runs in 1,346 games. Prior to the 2018 season, the final year of a six-year contract extension he signed before the 2012 campaign, the San Francisco Giants acquired McCutchen and cash considerations for righty Kyle Crick, outfielder Bryan Reynolds and International Bonus Slot Money.

Black History Month Feature: Shorebirds Top 5 Black Players 

 

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

While some of these standout performers 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.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for Delmarva Shorebirds.

CEDRIC MULLINS

Cedric Mullins, 27, started his major league career after being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Making his MLB debut in 2018, Mullins developed across 4 different minor league teams, including the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2016 where he earned his first Orioles Organizational All-Star nod.

Raised in Snellville, Georgia where he attended Brookside High School, Mullins began his collegiate career at Louisburg College before transferring to Campbell University becoming the first person from Louisburg to make the MLB. After joining the Orioles organization, Mullins played parts of 5 seasons in the minors highlighted by his 2016 season with the Shorebirds where he hit .273 with 14 home runs, 55 RBI, and 30 stolen bases in 124 games.

After Delmarva, Mullins continued his upward trajectory moving up to Double-A and Triple-A the next few seasons bouncing between the Bowie Baysox and the Norfolk Tides. In 2018, Mullins got the call up from the O’s making his MLB debut on August 10, 2018.

Mullins debut was against the Red Sox bringing in 3 hits, 2 RBI, drawing a walk, and scoring 3 runs. Mullins’ fast start helped make a name for himself becoming the first Oriole in franchise history to earn three hits in his MLB debut and became only one of five players in MLB history to score three or more runs and collect two or more base hits in his debut.

From there, Mullins has continued to perfect is craft which shined through recently during the 2021 campaign. In 2021, Mullins hit for a .291 batting average and .518 slugging percentage turning in an impressive 30/30 season. Mullins dominant season resulted in being named a 2021-22 MLB All-Star as well as earning a Silver Slugger in the outfield.

MYCHAL GIVENS

Mychal Givens’ journey throughout the majors has been one to remember for the Delmarva Shorebirds and Orioles fans alike. Having a high school career that turned heads of MLB scouts, Givens has been racking up accolades throughout his baseball career.

During his high school playing days, Givens dominated winning two All-State selections and was selected to be in the Aflac All-American High School baseball game. Not stopping there, Givens earned the Jackie Robinson Award, given to the nation’s best high school baseball player, capping off a stellar high school career as one of the most highly touted prospects in 2009.

Instead of electing to play in college, Givens was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as the 54th overall selection in the 2009 MLB draft. Entering the Orioles organization, Givens began his professional career as a shortstop with Delmarva before making the transition to the mound where he found his path to the big leagues.

After being brought back up to Delmarva in 2013, this time as a pitcher, Givens pitched 42.2 innings recording 36 strikeouts with a 4.22 ERA. After 5 years in the minors, Givens got the call-up to the Orioles on June 24, 2015 where he tossed a scoreless inning, striking out one batter.

Givens’ role throughout his tenure with the Orioles varied. Being used as a set-up man, relief pitcher, and sometimes a starter, Givens found himself in a utility role being able to fill many gaps in any pitching staff. Traded to Colorado and then Cincinnati at the end of the 2020 season, Givens ended his time with Baltimore notching a 3.32 ERA, 20 saves, and a WHIP rating of 1.137.

WILLIE HARRIS

Willie Harris continues to be one of the most memorable second basemen to ever play for the Shorebirds spending the better part of two seasons on the Eastern Shore including the 2000 championship season for Delmarva. Harris, recently selected to the Shorebirds silver anniversary team, was a table-setter for the Shorebirds scoring 106 runs in 2000 etching himself into the history books as no Shorebird has come within 15 runs of his single-season runs scored record.

The championship season was just the beginning for Harris. He jumped straight to Double-A Bowie in 2001, hitting .305 with 54 stolen bases in a full season with the Baysox. The O’s rewarded him with a September callup on September 2, 2001, and he played nine games with Baltimore to close out the season. His time at Camden Yards was brief, though; the Orioles traded him to the White Sox that offseason.

Harris became a key contributor for the White Sox, playing in 313 games for Chicago over the next four seasons. In 2006, Harris joined the Red Sox as a free agent and bounced around between the Braves, Nationals, Mets, and Reds before calling it quits in 2012 at age 34. He played in 1046 games over his 12 major league seasons, batting .238 with 39 home runs and 212 RBIs and 365 runs scored.

DARNELL MCDONALD

Darnell McDonald was a journeyman in MLB as an outfielder and member of the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Chicago Cubs after beginning his professional baseball career in Delmarva in 1998.

Originally a dual-sport athlete in baseball and football at Cherry Creek High School, McDonald was a two-time baseball All-American and essential contributor to one of the most successful high school sports dynasties in Colorado history. Exiting high school as a highly touted prospect, McDonald was recruited to play both football and baseball before making the decision to focus strictly on baseball.

Drafted late in the first round with the 26th overall pick in the 1997 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles, the Colorado native found his way to Delmarva quickly in his first season in the O’s system. Garnering high expectations as a first round draft pick, McDonald want on to have an illustrious career in the minors including a 134 game stint with the Shorebirds that fans surely will remember.

With Delmarva in 1998 after just 4 games in Frederick to start the year, McDonald was a force at the plate and on the bases. In that season alone, McDonald slugged for a .261 average and stole 35 bases which ended up being a professional career high. The success in Delmarva was just the beginning as McDonald would then quickly work his way up through the Orioles farm system on his journey to Baltimore.

In 2003, McDonald earned the call up to Triple-A Affiliate before eventually punching his ticket to the big leagues making his Major League Baseball debut on April 30, 2004. McDonald ended his career in Baltimore playing in just 17 games, before joining various other teams with his most notable seasons with the ’09 Cincinnati Reds and ’10 Boston Red Sox.

TIM RAINES JR.

Tim Raines Jr. is a name that stands out and is by far one of the most recognized players from his time with the Delmarva Shorebirds. Raines, son of MLB Hall Of Famer Tim Raines, attended Seminole High School in Sanford, Florida playing center field and entering the prospect circuit as a very promising player.

The Baltimore Orioles selected Raines in the 6th round pick, 189th overall, in the 1998 MLB draft. Coming to Delmarva in 1999, Raines quickly made a name for himself playing in 117 games collecting 103 hits with 34 extra-base hits. From there Raines quickly moved his way up through the minor league ranks making his MLB debut on October 1st, 2001.

On October 4th, 2001, Tim Raines Junior and Tim Raines Senior would become just the second father-son duo to play together in MLB history (first being Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.). Raines did not play for Baltimore in 2002 but returned for another two seasons in ‘03. In three total seasons for the O’s, Raines hit .213 with seven RBI and no home runs in 75 total games.

Black History Month: Deacon Jones & Bernie Smith Make History

 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers continue Minor League Baseball’s celebration of Black History Month with a pair of history making minor league managers.

The Danville Warriors rallied from a 7-2 deficit to defeat the Appleton Foxes 10-7 in a game at Danville Stadium on April 25, 1973. The Warriors scored four runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth to score a comeback win in front of 619 fans.

Those are the game details for what would seem to be a routine Midwest League game in 1973. There is a story behind those details to make this game historic for baseball and it happened in a small city two and a half hours south of Chicago and located just west of the Indiana border.

Grover “Deacon” Jones was the manager of the Foxes. Bernie Smith was the manager of the Warriors. They were the first African-America managers in the Midwest League and April 25, 1973 was the first game played in MiLB history where Black skippers led both teams.

There wasn’t much fanfare for the first game. That was not the case when the Foxes hosted the Warriors from May 19-21 at Goodland Field.

Associated Press sent writer Mike O’Brien to the Fox Cities for the final game of the series. His article gets the thoughts of both Jones and Smith to share with newspapers from Maine to Washington and from Wisconsin to Mississippi.

Smith’s Danville Brewers were here Monday night to play Jones Appleton Foxes is in the Class A Midwest league.

No Black has ever managed in the majors and it is believed only two others, Jean Baker and Hector Lopez, have managed in the minors. Yet Jones and Smith speak with affection for baseball and with understanding of its resistance to change.

“When we played at Danville earlier this year, I kidded Bernie that we were making history,” Jones said. “Then the game started and we forgot all about it.”

“I definitely feel more Blacks should have had a chance to manage before this, more than 20 years after Jackie Robinson opened the gates as a player and took a lot of abuse,” Jones said.

Jones later shared a story about his love for baseball, the Chicago White Sox, and the city of Appleton.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy, but I can turn to physiotherapy at 60,” he said. “Baseball was my boyhood dream. It’s a great game and I’ll never knock it. The Sox organization has always been fair with me.”

Jones resolved to stay in baseball after an incident that almost forced him out in 1963. Playing first base for Indianapolis, Jones couldn’t complete a throw to the plate because of intense pain in his right arm. It cost a game and he was near tears later.

“Rollie Hemsley, the manager, told me to stay out there and I learned to throw left-handed,” he said. “I’d go out to the park early every night and practice throwing with the other hand. And do you know I played that way in the playoffs that year. I felt that if that man had that kind of faith and courage in me, I wouldn’t quit.”

He batted .343 that year and a few seasons later compiled averages of .353 and .352 at Appleton, a virtually all-white city he dearly loves.

“It’s always been fantastic here,” he said. “When we first came, my wife said she felt like she was on stage, with people turning their heads to look at us. But that’s a natural reaction. We’ve made intimate friends here.”

Bernie Smith was officially the first African-American manager in the Midwest League due to being announced a few days before Jones.

Smith, a Louisiana native and a college teammate of Lou Brock at Southern University, spent years in the New York Mets system, including winning the Eastern League MVP in 1967 when he hit .306, stole 22 bases, and struck out just 47 times in 451 plate appearances for Williamsport. He got his chance in the Majors with Milwaukee and was a Brewer player in 1970 and 1971 for a total of 59 games before joining the minor league coaching staff for 1972 and getting the call to manage Danville in 1973.

Smith’s comments to O’Brien are about why it took so long for baseball to hire an African-American manager.

Smith said he believed there had been reluctance to hire Blacks as manager because of “tradition and money.”

“As owners, they have a financial interest to uphold and if you look at fans percentage-wise – and I mean 80 to 20 – the greatest number are white,” he said. “There has been fear hiring a Black manager might hurt the white crowds.”

“But things have changed,” he said. “Like the kids I manage were brought up in mixed schools, so they think nothing of it to have a Black as a coach. They don’t even think about it unless it’s pointed out.”

The series at Goodland Field went to Jones and the Foxes as they won game one 1-0 and game two 5-3. Danville won the finale 6-4 in eleven innings on the Monday evening that Mike O’Brien attended.

There would be three more matchups between Jones and Smith in 1973. The Foxes would again win two of the three games in the series when Danville hosted Appleton on June 6 and June 7. The teams split a doubleheader the first night with the Foxes taking the finale with a 6-0 win.

Smith would lead the Warriors to a 66-57 record and the playoffs with a win over Decatur in the first round, but a loss to Wisconsin Rapids in the Finals. Smith never managed in the minors again and his story of life after baseball is covered in more depth at this link at Reflections on Baseball by Steve Contursi.

Jones was reassigned as a hitting coach in the White Sox organization on June 20, 1973 after a loss to Wisconsin Rapids at home left Appleton with a 14-38 record. Deacon and the Foxes could never dig all the way out of the hole after starting the season with fifteen straight losses and a 1-19 record in their first twenty games.

The Post-Crescent made sure to include this passage in their article announcing the managerial change.

Jones’s next assignment will be the Knoxville Double-A club, where Lamar Johnson and Fred Norton are having hitting problems.

Though the White Sox announcement made no mention of the Foxes’ last place record, observers here felt that it played a large part in the reassignment decision. Jones, one of the most popular figures in Foxes history, wasn’t blamed by area fans for the team’s poor record since fox is personnel hasn’t been up to usual White Sox standards. There has been a constant shuffling of players on and off the roster, and several key injuries have also handicapped the team.

Jones, like Smith, would never manage again. However, Jones would stay in baseball. He would continue to coach in the White Sox system before moving on to become an advance scout for the Baltimore Orioles for over twenty years.

If you would like to more about Grover “Deacon” Jones, click this link for his SABR Biography by Bill Nowlin for stories like the night Jones sat at a rest stop lunch counter only to have a gun pulled on him and a different night when Virginia, Deacon’s wife, and Alicia Buford, wife of Don Buford, decided they weren’t going to sit in the segregated seating area at the stadium in Savannah in 1962.

It would take just over one year from the end of the 1973 Midwest League Finals for Major League Baseball to hire their first African-American manager. Frank Robinson, who had been traded to Cleveland from the California Angels during the 1974 season, was hired by the Indians on October 3, 1974 to take over as their player-manager for 1975.

Previous Articles for Black History Month 2022:

February 1: Top 5

February 8: Ervin Lee Ford

The Greats: Marauders Celebrate Black History Month

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

While some of these standout performers 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.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for the Marauders.

Evan Chambers (Outfielder, 2011-12) — A third-round draft pick in 2009 out of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Chambers played nearly 200 games across two seasons for the Marauders, hitting 12 home runs and stealing 31 bases. The Lakeland native brought a radiant smile and a positive presence to the field and the clubhouse.

In December 2013, Chambers died in his sleep at the age of 24 of an undetected genetic heart condition. In his memory, a sign bearing his number 53 adorns the boardwalk in right field at LECOM Park. He was posthumously inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame in 2017.

Ke’Bryan Hayes (Infielder, 2017) — The Pirates selected Hayes in the first round of the 2015 draft out of Concordia Lutheran High School in Texas. Hayes enjoyed an outstanding season with the Marauders in 2017, hitting .278 while stealing 27 bases, second-most among Pirates farmhands. He earned a selection to the Florida State League all-star game and was named a Gold Glove award winner at third base for all of Minor League Baseball.

Hayes made his major league debut in 2020 and batted .376 with a .442 on-base percentage in the shortened season, finishing sixth in National League rookie of the year voting.

Hayes is a proud second-generation major leaguer; his father, Charlie, played 14 seasons in the majors from 1988 to 2001, most notably with the Phillies and Rockies.

Cal Mitchell (Outfielder, 2019) — Mitchell, the Pirates’ second-round pick in 2017, patrolled right field for the Marauders throughout the 2019 season and led all Florida State League right fielders with a .977 fielding percentage.

Mitchell’s 15 home runs that season ranked second on the team, and he was selected to the Florida State League all-star game in Jupiter. He started in right field and earned all-star game MVP honors, going 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.

Gift Ngoepe (Infielder, 2010; 2012-13) — Ngoepe, a native of Randburg, South Africa, made baseball history as the first African-born player in the major leagues when he debuted for the Pirates in 2017. On his way to the majors, Ngoepe spent all or parts of three seasons in a Marauders uniform, stealing a total of 29 bases and providing solid infield defense.

Ngoepe made his major league debut on April 26, 2017 at PNC Park, going 1-for-2 with a single in his first at-bat. Time zone differences meant that, in his native South Africa, Ngoepe’s debut fell on the morning of April 27, known as Freedom Day—a date commemorating the nation’s first post-apartheid election.

After brief stints with the Blue Jays and Phillies organizations and a short return to the Pirates’ system in 2019, Ngoepe has continued his career in the independent leagues, most recently with the Quebec Capitales of the Frontier League in 2021.

Cole Tucker (Infielder, 2016-2017) — The Pirates’ first-round pick in 2014, Tucker starred at shortstop for the Marauders in the second half of 2016 and the first half of 2017. In addition to his slick defense, Tucker ran rampant on the basepaths, swiping 41 bases in 133 total games as a Marauder.

On May 12, 2017, Tucker homered from both sides of the plate in a 20-2 Marauders victory, finished a single shy of the cycle, and drove in seven runs, tying a franchise record.

Tucker made his major league debut for the Pirates on April 20, 2019, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer for his first major league hit.

Celebrating Wilmington’s Top Five Black Players

 

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

In this article we will be showcasing five players who’ve had a tremendous impact both on and off the field for the City of Wilmington.

JUDY JOHNSON – Judy Johnson never spent time with the Blue Rocks, but his legacy continues to resonate in the City of Wilmington and in our community. William Julius “Judy” Johnson was born in 1899 in Snow Hill, Maryland but moved to Wilmington, Delaware early in his childhood. His career as a professional baseball player spanned from 1921-1937. He was also the first person from Delaware to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1975.

The Blue Rocks honor the local legend every season by highlighting his contributions to the game, and his impact on the local community, and the importance of his role of the integration of Negro League Baseball into Major League Baseball.

For more information on the life and legacy of Judy Johnson, please visit our Legacy of Judy Johnson webpage: https://www.milb.com/wilmington/community/legacy-of-judy-johnson/.

TERRANCE GORE – Terrance Gore made his debut with the Blue Rocks during the 2014 season. The five-foot, seven-inch outfielder made an immediate impact for the Rocks, as he got on base with 55 hits and 20 walks in his 287 plate appearances that season. His speed was most noticeable, as he swiped a team-leading 36 bases (out of 40 attempts) for a 90% stolen base average.

His speed got him a nod to quick promotion, as the Macon, Georgia native was sent to Triple-A Omaha, where he finished the minor league season with an additional 11 stolen bases. Since the then parent-club Kansas City Royals were in a pennant chase in 2014, Gore got the call to the big leagues, and made his Major League debut on August 31, 2014. In 11 games, he swiped an additional five bags. Gore was activated for the Royals postseason roster and contributed a stolen base in the come-back win over the Oakland A’s in the American League Wild Card Game. He added two additional steals for the eventual American League champions during their Divisional Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Gore continued to be a tear on the bases, as he spent parts of the 2014-17 seasons with the Royals, before moving onto the Chicago Cubs in 2018, and then back to the Royals in 2019. In the pandemic-shortened season, Gore was a member of the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, and in 2021, captured another World Series ring with the Atlanta Braves.

MICHAEL TUCKER – Michael Tucker was a member of the inaugural modern Blue Rocks team in 1993. The South Boston, Virginia native, and first round selection (10th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in the 1992 June Free Agent Draft, made his professional debut as a player for the Blue Rocks in 1993. In his first 61 games, he smacked 14 doubles along with six home runs, 44 RBIs, while he swiped 12 stolen bases and scored 42 runs before his mid-season promotion to Double-A Memphis. He would finish the 1993 season in Memphis. In 1994, he spent the entire season in Triple-A Omaha. He appeared in 132 games and was amongst the leaders in most offensive categories. Some argue he would have made his Major League debut that year, if it was not for the MLB lock-out. Starting the 1995 season in Omaha, Tucker played in a handful of games before getting the call from Kansas City that his time to join the Royals had come.

On April 26, 1995, he made his Major League debut with the Royals. He and Chris Eddy made their debuts on the exact same day (Eddy with the Oakland A’s). Tucker and Eddy were just the second and third Blue Rocks to make it to the big leagues (the first was Jon Lieber on May 15, 1994).

Tucker would play for the Royals in parts of the 1995 and 1996 seasons, before being traded to the Atlanta Braves with Keith Lockhart for Jermaine Dye and Jamie Walker. Tucker would be traded five times in his career, and spent time with the Royals (1995-96, 2002-03), Braves (1997-98), Cincinnati Reds (1999-2001), Chicago Cubs (2001), San Francisco Giants (2004-05), Philadelphia Phillies (2005) and New York Mets (2006).

Tucker retired after spending the 2007 season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. His Major League career spanned 12 years, which saw him appear in 1,417 games. He smashed 125 home runs with 528 RBIs, along with 208 doubles, 49 triples, 490 walks, 114 stolen bases and 625 runs scored for his career. Tucker also saw time in the postseason in 1997 and 1998 with the Braves and in 2006 for the Mets.

DONOVAN DELANEY – Donovan Delaney is one of the more familiar names to early Blue Rocks fans. The Shreveport, Louisiana native was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 45th round of the 1993 June Free Agent Draft out of Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City, Louisiana. The outfielder joined the Eugene Emeralds in 1994 and smacked six home runs, 16 doubles and 33 RBIs in 63 games for his minor league rookie season. In 1995, he was assigned to Wilmington. In his first season with the Rocks, he batted .250 with a team-leading seven triples, adding 13 doubles, three homers, and 39 RBIs, as the Blue Rocks made the Carolina League postseason and won the Northern Division Championship Series.

The following season, Delaney was a solid contributor on the field. In 124 games, he collected 105 hits (17 doubles, four triples, and four home runs) to help lead the Rocks to the 1996 Carolina League title, the second championship in franchise history.

Delaney spent the 1997 season in Wilmington and was amongst the offensive leaders, as he played in 124 games. Following the 1997 season, Delaney made a career change within baseball, as the Royals converted him from a position player into a pitcher.

In 1998, Delaney appeared in 25 games for the Low-A Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League. In his 36.2 innings pitched, he had a 3.19 ERA with 47 strikeouts and three saves with 12 games finished. The 1999 season would be his final season in baseball, but his fourth overall with the Blue Rocks. He made 23 relief appearances for the Rocks, with three saves, for the 1999 Carolina League co-Champions. To date, Delaney holds the distinction as the longest-tenured Blue Rocks players (in terms of seasons in Wilmington, 1995-97, 99).

Following the 1999 season, Delaney retired from baseball and remained a pillar in the local community. Delaney joined the New Castle County Police, and currently serves as a Sergeant with the police force.

JARROD DYSON – Jarrod Dyson spent the 2008 season in Wilmington. The McComb, Mississippi native played in 93 games for the Blue Rocks. That season he batted .260 with 32 walks, 24 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. He had an impressive 39 stolen bases, but was second behind teammate Derrick Robinson, who had 62 steals. In total, the 2008 club had 258 base swipes. Dyson also contributed 32 walks to a team that compiled 496 in total (led by that season’s leader, Josh Johnson).

Dyson made his Major League debut on September 7, 2010 for the Kansas City Royals. Over the next 11 seasons he saw time with six teams, with a majority of his career spent in Kansas City (also played for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays). He has appeared in 992 regular season games, batting .244 with 83 doubles, 38 triples, 21 home runs, 185 RBIs, and 387 runs scored.

Dyson saw time in the Major League postseason on both the American League champion Royals team in 2014, and the World Series champion Royals in 2015. During those two postseason runs, the outfielder saw action in 19 games, with 20 at bats and two walks. He also demonstrated speed on the base paths with four stolen bases. He appeared in two games during the 2020 postseason with the White Sox. Dyson was granted free agency on November 3, 2021.

Celebrating Black History Month: Highlighting 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

Black History Month: Five of the Top Black Players in Clearwater History

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

While some of these standout performers 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.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for Clearwater.

Ron Jones (1986)

After turning down draft offers in 1982 and 1983, Ron Jones signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent in 1984.

During his 108-game stint with Clearwater in 1986, the outfielder led the team in every offensive category aside from home runs and led the Florida State League in batting average (.371), hits (153), slugging percentage (.524), on-base percentage (.423) and triples (12). His stand-out numbers led to Jones being voted FSL MVP. It would have been a unanimous decision, but since teams are not allowed to vote for their own player, Jones did not get the two votes from Clearwater representatives.

Jones was part of the first duo of players to win a Paul Owens Award, an honor given out annually since 1986 to the best position player and pitcher in the Phillies minor league system.

The left-handed hitter had thirteen game-winning RBIs for the Single-A team before skipping Double-A and being promoted straight to the Triple-A club (Portland).

Jones made his major league debut on August 26, 1988, for the Philadelphia Phillies. In just 33 games to finish out the 1988 season, Jones drove in 26 runs including eight home runs for the big-league club. However, Jones’ major league career was plagued with injuries to both knees that ultimately ended his flourishing career. After retiring from the game in 2000, Jones turned to coaching and eventually opened the Big League Batting Academy in Houston, Texas, along with former teammate Charlie Hayes.

Jimmy Rollins (1998)

Jimmy Rollins was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 1996 June Amateur Draft out of Encinal High School (Alameda, CA).

At 18 years old, Rollins was the youngest member of the 1998 Clearwater (A+) team. The switch hitter totaled a .244 batting average with six home runs in 119 games with the Florida State League club. As a shortstop with Clearwater, Rollins carried a league-best .952 fielding percentage. His top-notch fielding earned Rollins a spot on the mid-season FSL All-Star Team.

He made his big-league debut with the Phillies on September 17, 2000. During his sixteen-year career, he led the National League in triples four times. He is a three-time All-Star (2001, 2002, 2005), was named the National League MVP in 2007, won the Gold Glove award four times (2007 – 2009, 2012), and garnered a Silver Slugger award in 2007. The shortstop played an important role in the Phillies’ 2008 World Series Championship and was honored at the end of the season with a Fielding Bible Award as the top shortstop that season. Rollins was inducted into both the Clearwater Phillies and Threshers Wall of Fame and the Florida State League Hall of Fame in 2013. He was a co-recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award in 2014.

After he retired from playing in 2017, Rollins returned to the Phillies as a special advisor for the team and acted as an on-air commentator for television broadcasts.

Ryan Howard (2003)

Ryan Howard was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the 2001 MLB Draft out of Missouri State University.

Howard spent the entirety of the 2003 season with the Clearwater Phillies. He was voted Florida State League MVP, named Best Power Prospect in the FSL, and led the league in three categories: average (.304), home runs (23), and slugging percentage (.514). He was the 2003 and 2004 recipient of the Paul Owens award and played in the 2003 All-Star Futures game.

The first baseman was a September call-up for the Phillies on September 1, 2004. Howard was named National League Rookie of the Year in 2005 after leading all rookies with 22 home runs and posting a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 88 games. Nicknamed “The Big Piece”, Howard is known for being the player to reach 100 home runs and 200 home runs the quickest. He spent his entire 13-year career playing for the Phillies.

The lefty was awarded National League MVP in 2006, finishing the season with a .313 batting average 58 home runs, and 149 RBI. He was part of the 2008 Phillies World Series Championship team contributing six RBI including three home runs during the series. Howard was inducted into the Clearwater Phillies and Threshers Wall of Fame in 2016.

Greg Golson (2006)

Greg Golson was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of the 2004 MLB draft out of John B. Connally High School (Austin, TX).

Golson made his professional debut that summer with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, hitting .295 in 47 games. After continuing to show power and speed in Lakewood with a .264 average and 25 stolen bases, Golson was added to the squad in Clearwater late in 2006. He started the 2007 campaign back in Clearwater, and in 99 games with the Threshers that year, Golson hit .285 with 12 long balls and 52 RBI to land himself a spot on the Florida State League All-Star team. His 139 games with the Threshers make him the first-round pick to play in the most games with the Clearwater club.

Golson appeared in the 2008 futures game and made his major league debut the same year as a September call-up with the Philadelphia Phillies. The outfielder was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2009 and played the next two years with the New York Yankees before making his final appearance in September of 2011. Golson was later hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of their pro scouting department in 2019.

Quintin Berry (2008)

Quintin Berry was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of San Diego State University.

Berry began his career in Batavia (A) and led the club in walks. He was a Paul Owens award recipient in 2007 before joining the squad in Clearwater in 2008. The speedster had the most stolen bases (51) in the Florida State League and throughout the entire Phillies Minor League system. He was the only player to represent the Threshers on the 2008 Postseason All-Star team.

The outfielder was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres and played around the minor leagues with the Padres, Mets, Reds, and Tigers organizations. Berry made his major league debut with the Tigers on May 23, 2012. He set an American League record for most bases stolen without being caught stealing (21). Berry earned a World Series ring in 2013 as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement for the Boston Red Sox, swiping three postseason bases.

Berry transitioned into coaching after his retirement in 2018. In 2019, he became the Milwaukee Brewers outfield and base running coordinator and in 2021 he was promoted to the major league coaching staff as the first base coach.

Kannapolis Baseball Black History Month Feature: Micah Johnson

 

In honor of Black History month, the Cannon Ballers will highlight former Kannapolis ball players who have not just made a name for themselves on the diamond, but players who have continued to make strides off the field to better others.

Typically, when a professional baseball player’s career ends, the vision for their next journey in life might not be as crystal clear as one would think. However, in Micah Johnson’s case, his future life’s canvas could not be more perfectly painted.

Johnson was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, just 50 miles north of where he attended college in Bloomington, home to the Indiana Hoosiers. After two highly successful seasons in the Big Ten, earning second team All-Big Ten honors, the infielder was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the ninth round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

Once he received his promotion to the Intimidators 2013, Johnson tore up the South Atlantic League, putting up one of the most memorable seasons in Kannapolis baseball history. During his 77 games, Johnson slashed .342/.422/.530 at the plate, leading the team in triples (11), stolen bases (61), and walks (40), while also placing in the top five in 13 other offensive categories.

Johnson quickly climbed his way through the Chicago system and by the beginning of the 2015 season, the Indiana native earned a spot on the Opening Day roster for the White Sox, batting ninth and playing second base. Wasting no time at all, he recorded his first MLB hit in his second at-bat that day. Johnson went on to play in 36 games in 2015, batting .230 with 10 runs scored and three stolen bases.

Following his first year at the MLB level, Johnson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with there still being upside to his young career. However, during spring training in 2016, Dodger’s manager Dave Roberts asked a question that quite possibly changed the rest of Johnson’s career focus moving forward. Roberts wanted to know what they like to do in their spare time and for them to share it to the entire team. Not wanting to play the piano in front of everyone, Johnson answered art, sparking a connection with a love that he had never fully committed to.

After just one year in L.A., the Atlanta Braves traded for Johnson before the start of the 2017 season, throwing his baseball journey another curveball. Johnson spent the majority of his time in the minor leagues with both the Dodgers and Braves organizations, surpassing only 25 games played in the majors over the two-year span.

With his baseball career slowly coming to an end after a season with the Durham Bulls in 2018, Johnson decided to shift his focus to art, making the leap and officially retiring from baseball.

The artist began his new career in New Hampshire, learning to express himself on a canvas in an art studio, instead of on a baseball diamond in front of thousands of fans, although, the fans surely came running to Johnson soon again.

“Mom, can astronauts be black?” This powerful quote, spoken by his four-year old nephew, helped shape Johnson’s artwork and mindset.

Johnson’s new mission for his work: Inspire racial equality throughout all demographics, while emphasizing the need for young African-American’s to chase their dreams without limitations.

Johnson’s niche mindset proved successful early, as he began to orchestrate and sell his brilliant artwork by using the fast-growing medium of NFT’s.

On October 28, 2020, the former MLB player unveiled Sä-v(ə-)rən-tē, presenting an astronaut on one side of a closed door in an open field, with two young African-American kids (his nephews) on the other side. Each year, the programmable artwork will see the door open more and more on their birthdays, with fans having the ability to give to Johnson’s nephew’s dreams of achieving anything that they set their mind to. His nephews will share what their future goals are each year, allowing the consumer to fully understand the purpose of this well-thought-out piece of work. Making his work even more unique, all viewers will only be able to give back by the use of Bitcoin.

Following its release, ‘Sä-v(ə-)rən-tē was sold for $120,000 at an auction, making it the second highest sale for an NFT art piece at that time.

After selling his most beloved piece of art, Johnson has since constructed many other depictions of his nephews in an astronaut suit and helmet, with other pictures still gaining a wealth of online traction for their powerful stance on equality needed throughout America.

Johnson continues to push the art boundaries with the help of Art Angels, a Los Angeles based art company that showcases his work. For more information on Johnson, his story, and his work, visit https://www.artangels.net/art/micah-johnson.

MLB Pioneer Johnny Joe Lewis Leads Pensacola’s All-Time Greatest Black Baseball Players 

 

Nearly 50 years later, Kevin Saucier’s amazement has grown from his unique connections with Pensacola’s history of its greatest Black baseball players.

The left-hander was making his pitching debut with the Pulaski (Virginia) Phillies in the Appalachian League. It was weeks after the Philadelphia Phillies had selected Saucier in the second round of the 1974 draft from Escambia High School.

In the opposing lineup that night for the Covington (Va.) Astros was an outfielder named Joe “JJ” Cannon, who Saucier knew from Cannon’s success at Pensacola State College, formerly Pensacola Junior College.

“He was in the top three of the batting order,” Saucier said. “I wish I could remember how I did against him, but I knew JJ could run and I didn’t want him on base. But imagine that, your first game and guy from Pensacola you’re going against.”

Both players continued incredible journeys to reach the major leagues.

Cannon was the first PJC player to be drafted and continued a trailblazing path set by predecessors Johnny Joe Lewis and Hosken Powell to be among Pensacola’s greatest Black baseball players who reached the major leagues.

Saucier, nicknamed “Hot Sauce,” rose in the Phillies organization to win a World Series title with Philadelphia in 1980.

As part of Black History Month, Major League Baseball is recognizing players who advanced the game and became inspirations as part of an initiative to recognize top Black players in the communities of minor league affiliates.

The Blue Wahoos have chosen Cannon, along with Lewis, Powell, then Mark Whitten and Adron Chambers, as five of Pensacola’s greatest.

All played Major League Baseball and overcame long odds to do so. Saucer brings perspective with knowing all of them.

“I have all the respect in the world for these guys because they had a lot of things against them to get to the big leagues,” said Saucier, whose playing career transitioned into becoming an MLB regional scouting director and works with the Blue Wahoos during their home schedule as a liaison with current scouts and MLB team executives who travel to Pensacola to attend games.

“When you look at these guys, especially guys like Johnny, Hosken and JJ, you remember there was no such thing as (youth team) travel ball in those days and the summer league opportunities for them were nowhere near the same as for white players,” Saucier said.

“They had to overcome a lot and stay with it. And these five guys were some of the best players to ever come out of Pensacola.”

Saucier played against Cannon in high school and pro ball. He pitched against Powell in spring training games. He then got to know Lewis well in his later years. He then got to know and became friends with Whiten and Chambers during his scouting career.

In honor of Black History Month, here is a look at Pensacola’s top five Black baseball players.

JOHNNY JOE LEWIS – During his prep career at Booker T. Washington, Lewis grew up less than a decade removed from Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier.

He was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers, but broke into pro ball with the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1959. He made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 1964. Lewis played five seasons in the big leagues, including the final three years with the New York Mets.

He had 174 hits, 24 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs with 74 RBI in the majors. One of those home runs was a historic solo homer in 1965 against the Cincinnati Reds, breaking up a 10-inning, no-hitter by Reds pitcher Jim Maloney – one of the longest no-hitters in MLB history.

Following his playing career, he became the Cardinals first Black assistant coach in 1973 and stayed with the organization for the next two decades. He died in 2018 at age 78 and is considered one of Pensacola’s most famous names in Major League Baseball.

“When I got into coaching, that’s when I really started to get to know who Johnny Joe was,” Saucier said. “He was such a great guy and everyone in the game knew who he was. He had to have such an influence on everyone at that time in Pensacola.”

HOSKEN POWELL – One of the top players in Pensacola’s prep baseball history, Powell, a Woodham High graduate and outfielder, was twice a first-round draft pick in the same year while playing at Chipola Junior College. After being chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1975 as the 19th overall pick in primary draft in January, Powell was later chosen by the Minnesota Twins as the third overall pick in the June secondary draft phase.

One of his roommates at Chipola was Century High grad Buck Showalter, now manager of the New York Mets.

Powell signed with the Twins and made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1978 and played six years in the big leagues.

“I remember I was a freshman in high school (Escambia) and on the JV team and we were playing Woodham. All I heard about was this guy named Hosken Powell,” Saucier said, laughing. “Let me tell you I could not get him out. You knew then, that this guy was going to be someone special.

“He had a lot of influence on baseball in Pensacola.”

JJ CANNON – While playing prep baseball at Camp LeJuene, N.C., Cannon’s family moved to Florida and he later signed to play at Pensacola Junior College. That’s where he caught attention from pro scouts and the Houston Astros made him the 16th overall pick in the 1974 draft.

Three later, following his rookie year with Saucier in the Appalachian League, Cannon made his MLB debut with the Astros in 1977 before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979. His four-year career in the big leagues was followed by an extensive tenure as a minor league coach and manager. Cannon managed five different teams in four different leagues.

In 1991, he had a stadium in Hanover, Maryland named in his honor.

“The Appalachian League back in the 70’s was not an easy way to break into professional baseball for young black players,” Saucier said. “So I know JJ had to go through a lot.”

MARK WHITEN

Former Pensacola High football coach Leo Carvalis convinced Whiten to become a two-sport athlete and try out for the baseball team. His progression earned him a baseball scholarship at PJC and he chose that route as opposed to trying college football.

In 1986, Whiten was drafted in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. That organization became one of nine different MLB teams that Whitten played for during his 11 year career. While with the Phillies in 1993, he hit four home runs in a game and now is among 18 players in MLB history to attain that feat.

Whitten’s four homers resulted in 12 RBI which is tied for the all-time record in MLB history. He embraced the nickname of “Hard-Hittin’ Mark Whiten.”

“When Mark was in high school and PJC, he had a heck of an arm as a rightfielder,” Saucier said. “He had talent, but was raw as heck back then. And he just kept getting better.”

The Blue Jays scout who signed Whiten had to convince his director that it was a worthy choice. Whiten finished his career in 2000 with the Cleveland Indians and his career numbers included a .259 batting average with 105 home runs and 423 RBI.

ADRON CHAMBERS

A star quarterback and defensive back at Pensacola High, who led the Tigers to a state semifinal appearance in 2004, Chambers signed a football scholarship at Mississippi State. He then turned to baseball and joined Pensacola State College where he earned a pro opportunity during a tryout camp in 2007 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Four years later, Chambers became part of the Cardinals’ World Series march and earned a championship ring with the Cardinals in 2011. In a four-year climb through the minor leagues, Chambers went from hitting .238 in Low-A in 2008 to .290 in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds in 2010.

That earned him a place on the Cardinals’ 40-man MLB roster. He spent parts of the 2012-13 seasons with the Cardinals and minor league affiliate, then played with the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. He signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Cubs before the 2015 season and was a teammate of former Cubs’ shortstop and Pace High grad Addison Russell that year.

“It is so amazing when you consider that Adron did not even play baseball at Mississippi State,” Saucier said. “And then he stayed with it (after 2011) to play several years in the minors.