Black History Month – The 5 best Black players in WooSox/PawSox 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 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 WooSox/PawSox organization.

Sam Horn

Sam Horn was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round with the sixth overall pick in the 1982 draft out of Samuel Morse High School in San Diego, CA. In 1987 Horn had one of the best offensive seasons in Triple-A franchise history when he belted 30 Home Runs, 82 RBI, and hit .321 before getting called up by the Boston Red Sox in July of that same year. Horn would later hit another 10 Home Runs in his first 82 trips to the plate as a member of the Major League Club during the 1987 season. He was also a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 1992 during the Innaugural Season at Camden Yards, where he scored the first-ever run in the history of the new ballpark. Horn has always stayed connected with Larry Lucchino, who would later build Petco Park in San Diego before becoming President & CEO of the Boston Red Sox in 2002. Horn now resides in Rhode Island, where he continues to stay active in the community for the Worcester Red Sox and Boston Red Sox.

Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd

Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd was rafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 16th round of the 1980 amateur draft out of Jackson State University. The Meridian, MS native made his Major League debut for Boston in 1982 and won 16 games in 1986 as a critical member of the American League Championship team’s starting rotation. He was also the recipient of the Boston Red Sox Pitcher of the Year Award voted on by the Boston baseball Writers Association in 1985. Boyd would pitch for the Red Sox through the end of the 1989 season before moving on for stints with the Montreal Expos (1990-1991) and Texas Rangers (1992). Boyd also had two uncles who played baseball professionally— Robert Boyd played for the Kansas City Athletics and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro Leagues, and his Great Uncle Benjamin played for the Memphis Red Sox and Homestead Grays. Dennis resided in East Providence for years where he was always a fixture at PawSox games, and stays active in the community for both the Worcester Red Sox and Boston Red Sox.

Jim Rice

Jim Rice was the only player in the last 50 years of the International League to win the IL Triple Crown when he hit .337 along with 25 HR and 93 RBI in just 117 games for the 1974 Pawtucket Red Sox to lead the league in all three categories. He was one of only six players to capture the IL Triple Crown in the 132 years of the International League. Rice, who was Pawtucket’s all-time hitting leader with a .340 average, joined the PawSox late in the 1973 season (at the age of 20) and helped lead the club to the Governors’ Cup Championship and the Junior World Series title. He was the IL MVP in 1974 despite being promoted to Boston in mid-August. Rice ranks among the all-time Boston Red Sox leaders in at-bats (3rd), runs (4th), hits (3rd), doubles (6th), triples (6th), HR (3rd), RBI (3rd), walks (8th), slugging pct. (8th), and total bases (3rd) among others. An 8-time American League All-Star outfielder (1977-80, 83-86), Jim was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2009. He was also a member of the first class of Red Sox Hall of Fame inductees in 1995 and was elected to the International League Hall of Fame in 2008.

Mo Vaughn

Mo Vaughn was a popular player for the PawSox for parts of three seasons (1990-92) and went on to a stellar 12-year Major League career with Boston (1991-98), Anaheim (1999-2000), and the New York Mets (2002-03). He finished his big league career with a .293 average along with 328 HR & 1064 RBI in 1512 games. Mo was a three-time American League All-Star with the Red Sox (1995, ’96 and ’98) and the American League MVP in 1995 when he hit .300 with 39 HR & 126 RBI. The “Hit Dog” followed that up with a sensational 1996 campaign for Boston batting .326 with career-highs of 44 HR & 143 RBI. Vaughn was chosen by the Red Sox in the 1st round of the 1989 draft. He spent all of 1990, at the age of 22, with the PawSox posting a .295 average with 22 HR & 72 RBI in 108 games. He would split the 1991 season between Pawtucket and Boston, returned briefly to Pawtucket in 1992 for 39 games, but then spent the rest of his career in the majors. From 1996-98 with the Red Sox he hit .315 or higher and averaged 40 homers and 118 RBI.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Jackie Bradley Jr. was reacquired by the Boston Red Sox in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 1, 2021. Bradley Jr. has played in 1,007 major league games with the Red Sox (2013-20) and Brewers (2021), batting .230 with 104 home runs. A 2016 All-Star, he earned the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for center field in 2018 and was a finalist for the award in three other seasons (2014, ’16, ’19). Bradley helped the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series, as he was named Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series. Selected by the Red Sox in the supplemental round of the 2011 June Draft, Jackie was among the most popular players in Pawtucket Red Sox history while playing for the PawSox during parts of the 2013-15 and 2017 seasons. An active member of the community along with his wife, Erin, Bradley served as captain of the Red Sox Scholars program from 2016-20 and supported the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

National Platform Adds To MiLB’s Inclusion Efforts Through America’s Pastime

NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 1, 2022 —Minor League Baseball® (MiLB™) today announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders in all 120 MiLB communities, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and in the community. Recent tributes and celebrations have included Negro Leagues commemorative games honoring the Austin Black Senators in Round Rock (TX), the Bradenton (FL) Nine Devils, and Page Fence Giants near Lansing (MI). Additional tribute games are being planned for the 2022 season and beyond.

“The Nine will shine bright spotlights on these successful initiatives and transform them into national campaigns reaching more fans and communities, further showcasing our teams’ commitment to representing, honoring, and welcoming all fans to MiLB’s unique brand of fun,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Nine is just the latest example of MiLB teams being true community champions.”

In addition to player- and team-related content, The Nine will focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access.

Central to this youth-focused push is a planned expansion of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program throughout MiLB’s national footprint. New competitions in MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Junior Home Run Derby event series will also debut in MiLB markets beginning in 2022.

MiLB teams will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

With several MiLB teams having a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in their community, opportunities will be provided for those schools to start internship and mentorship programs with their local team, creating opportunities for on-the-job experience for students prior to entering the job market. Additionally, MiLB recently partnered with TeamWork Online to create a more inclusive virtual job fair and ongoing talent pipeline that aims to recruit and position qualified and ready-for-hire candidates from across the country for potential management- and executive-level roles within MiLB team front offices.

MiLB’s ‘The Nine’: Top Black Players in Atlanta Braves Triple-A History

In celebration of Black History Month and Minor League Baseball’s launch of “The Nine,” teams across MiLB are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their franchise.

Black players have held a starring role in every era of Atlanta Braves Triple-A history, from Tommie Aaron, Dusty Baker, and Ralph Garr in the early days of the Richmond Braves in the 1960’s and 70’s, to Gerald Perry, Lonnie Smith, and Tony Tarasco of the 80’s and 90’s Richmond teams, to Stefan Gartrell, Travis Demeritte, and Touki Toussaint of the more recent Gwinnett clubs.

Recognizing the five best Black players in Richmond and Gwinnett’s combined 56-year history is no easy task, but the players below all have one thing in common: they left lasting marks in the Triple-A record books.

5: Stefan Gartrell (2011-13)

Stefan Gartrell blasted 54 career home runs with Gwinnett from 2011 to 2013.
Karl L. Moore

Gartrell is the lone entrant on the list from the Gwinnett era. The prolific slugger ranks among Gwinnett’s career leaders in home runs (2nd, 54), doubles (4th, 63), runs (4th, 166), and RBI (4th, 180) since 2009. He bashed 25 long-balls and drove in 91 runs in 116 games during the 2011 season with the G-Braves, earning him selection to the International League Postseason All-Star team. Those 25 clouts are tied for eighth-most in a single season in franchise history.

Gartrell returned to launch 20 homers in 2012 and nine more in 2013 before ultimately calling it a career. Of his 137 career minor league clouts over eight professional seasons, nearly 40% came in a Gwinnett uniform. Despite his prodigious power, the San Francisco, CA native never reached the Majors.

4: Bill Robinson (1966)

In Richmond’s inaugural year of existence as the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate in 1966, Robinson became the franchise’s very first International League Postseason All-Star. The McKeesport, PA native batted .312 with 30 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs, 86 runs, and 79 RBIs in 139 games, helping the R-Braves reach the Governors’ Cup Finals.

To date, Robinson still ranks among franchise single-season leaders in hits (T-3rd, 159), and total bases (7th, 257). He went on to play a 16-year Major League career with the Braves, the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1966-83.

3. Gerald Perry (1982-83, 1986)

Gerald Perry was named an International League Postseason All-Star in 1983 and 1986.
Richmond Braves Archives

Perry’s accomplishments in three seasons with Richmond are numerous. As a Triple-A rookie in 1982, he became the third player in franchise history to hit for the cycle (May 12 vs. Tidewater) and ranked among franchise single-season leaders in RBIs (T-6th, 93), walks (8th, 91), and runs (T-8th, 94). Perry returned to the R-Braves in 1983 and again in 1986, and earned International League Postseason All-Star honors both years, making him one of only three players in franchise history to win twice.

The Savannah, GA native played 353 total games with Richmond, batting .311 (5th-best in franchise history) with 73 doubles, 17 triples, 38 homers, 244 runs, and 238 RBIs. He went on to a 13-year Major League career with the Braves (1983-89), Kansas City Royals (1990), and St. Louis Cardinals (1991-95).

2. Ralph Garr (1969-70)

After playing for the R-Braves from 1969-70, Garr returned to the team as a coach from 1985-87.
Richmond Braves Archives

Garr is quite simply the greatest hitter for average in Atlanta Braves Triple-A history, thanks to his franchise-record .356 career batting average with Richmond. He is the only player in franchise history to win two International League Batting Titles, accomplishing the feat in each of his two seasons with the R-Braves (.329 in 1969, franchise-record .386 in 1970). Garr also led the IL in stolen bases both years (63 in 1969, 39 in 1970) as he earned consecutive selections to the IL Postseason All-Star Team.

Following a 13-year Major League career with the Atlanta Braves (1968-75), Chicago White Sox (1976-79), and California Angels (1979-80), Garr returned to Richmond as a coach from 1985-87 and was part of the 1986 Governors’ Cup Championship club. The Monroe, LA native was elected to the IL Hall of Fame in 2008.

1. Tommie Aaron (1966-67, 1971-72, Manager from 1977-78)

Tommie Aaron hoists the Governors’ Cup as manager of the 1978 International League champion Richmond Braves.
Richmond Braves Archives

The younger brother of baseball icon Hank Aaron, Tommie Aaron became a legend in his own right as the only man in International League history to earn league Most Valuable Player honors and manage a Governors’ Cup champion. The Monroe, AL native hit .309 as the IL MVP in 1967, helping the Richmond Braves capture their first IL pennant. Ten seasons later, he became the league’s first Black manager. In just his second season at the helm, Aaron led Richmond to their first Governors’ Cup Championship in 1978.

Aaron also played 437 games over a seven-year Major League career with the Milwaukee Braves (1962-63) and Atlanta Braves (1968-71). He and Hank still hold the MLB record for most combined home runs by brothers (768, 13 by Tommie and 755 by Hank).

Aaron’s number 23, originally retired by Richmond in 1985 shortly after his passing in 1984, remains retired by Gwinnett. In 2008, he joined Garr in being elected to the IL Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mentions:

Albert Hall (1982-83, 1985-86)

Hall is the greatest speedster in Atlanta Braves Triple-A history, ranking among record holders in career stolen bases (1st, 186), triples (2nd, 32), and runs (6th, 302) following his two stints with Richmond. He owns two of the franchise’s top four single-season triples totals (franchise-record 15 in 1982, T-4th with 11 in 1983), two of the top five single-season runs totals (franchise-record 120 in 1983, T-5th with 97 in 1982), and three of the top seven single-season steals totals (2nd with 72 in 1986, 4th with 62 in 1982, and T-7th with 46 in 1983).

Hall’s quickness helped him become the second player in franchise history to hit for the cycle on May 3, 1982 at Syracuse. The Birmingham, AL native went on to play parts of nine Major League seasons with Atlanta (1981-88) and Pittsburgh (1989).

Larry Whisenton (1976-81, 1983-85)

Whisenton is the king when it comes to longevity, having played a franchise-record 773 games over parts of nine seasons with Richmond. He was in the R-Braves’ Opening Day starting lineup in six of those years (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984).

Though he was never selected to an IL Postseason All-Star team, Whisenton did reach the 100-hit plateau in three different seasons, including a 114-hit campaign as a 21-year-old in 1978 and 121 hits in his final full Triple-A season in 1981. His 657 career hits stood as a franchise record until 2021, when he was surpassed by Gwinnett’s Sean Kazmar Jr. (675). In addition to games and hits, Whisenton ranks among the franchise’s top five hitters in triples (1st, 46), runs (1st, 392), RBIs (2nd, 308), walks (3rd, 432), at-bats (3rd, 2,505), and stolen bases (4th, 93).

Drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 1975, the St. Louis, MO native went on to a 116-game Major League career with the Braves (1977-79, 1981-82).

Nashville Sounds Foundation Now Accepting Scholarship Applications 

 

The Nashville Sounds Foundation announced today its 2022 Scholarship Program is now accepting applications. The foundation will award four scholarships worth $2,500 each to graduating high school seniors who plan to attend college in the Fall of 2022.

The program, which began in 2016, has awarded $60,000 in scholarships and is designed to assist deserving Nashville and Middle Tennessee students in paying for college tuition during their freshman year.

“The Nashville Sounds Foundation is proud to continue this impactful annual tradition for aspiring college students in the Middle Tennessee area,” said Nashville Sounds General Manager Adam English. “From the donations and fundraising efforts of the foundation to the thoughtful essays put together by students and the letters of recommendation from their teachers and coaches, this is truly a community-wide effort.”

Interested seniors must complete the application process here. The process includes submitting a 250-or-less word essay explaining how diversity and inclusion will impact their time at college.

In addition to the essay, each submission must include at least two letters of recommendation from a teacher and/or coach and an official high school transcript. The scholarship will be awarded based on the culmination of the student’s schoolwork, extracurricular activities and involvement in the community.

Each winner will receive tickets to a select 2022 Nashville Sounds game and a special surprise from the Nashville Sounds Foundation. The deadline to be considered for the 2022 scholarships is Friday, March 18, 2022. Scholarship winners will be notified no later than April 29, 2022.

Winners from 2021 include Solyana Asefa (Middle Tennessee State University), Mary Kathryn Walt (College of Charleston), Marvin Joseph Brown and Rebecca Williams (Columbia University).

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Season ticket memberships for the 2022 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].

About the Nashville Sounds Foundation:

The mission of the Nashville Sounds Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is to utilize baseball to positively impact the communities throughout Middle Tennessee by emphasizing the importance of social responsibility, education and the power of sport to transform lives.

The Nashville Sounds Foundation is funded through monetary donations, private entities, memorabilia auctions and in-game custom public address announcements.

Bisons join “The Nine”, a new initiative to Celebrate, Engage, and Welcome Black Fans

 

Minor League Baseball has announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión — the Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders in all 120 MiLB communities, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and in the community. Details on ‘The Nine’ celebrations and tributes at Buffalo Bisons home games this season are to be announced.

“The Nine will shine bright spotlights on these successful initiatives and transform them into national campaigns reaching more fans and communities, further showcasing our teams’ commitment to representing, honoring, and welcoming all fans to MiLB’s unique brand of fun,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Nine is just the latest example of MiLB teams being true community champions.”

In addition to player- and team-related content, The Nine will focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access.

Central to this youth-focused push is a planned expansion of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program throughout MiLB’s national footprint. New competitions in MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Junior Home Run Derby event series will also debut in MiLB markets beginning in 2022.

MiLB teams will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

With several MiLB teams having a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in their community, opportunities will be provided for those schools to start internship and mentorship programs with their local team, creating opportunities for on-the-job experience for students prior to entering the job market. Additionally, MiLB recently partnered with TeamWork Online to create a more inclusive virtual job fair and ongoing talent pipeline that aims to recruit and position qualified and ready-for-hire candidates from across the country for potential management- and executive-level roles within MiLB team front offices.

Bats Join MiLB In Launch Of “The Nine” Outreach Program

 

LOUISVILLE, KY. – The Louisville Bats, in conjunction with Minor League Baseball, today announced the team will be at the forefront of a nation-wide outreach program to help connect Black communities to baseball. The new program, “The Nine,” will feature local outreach initiatives from 60 participating teams across Minor League Baseball during the 2022 season.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Bats initiatives for The Nine during the 2022 season will include:

  1. Dedicating a memorial at Eastern Cemetery for Felton Snow, a former baseball player for the Louisville Black Caps and Louisville White Sox of the Negro Southern League. The Bats, Louisville’s chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), Louisville Urban League and Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory will help host a special recognition ceremony for the dedication later this season.
  2. The Bats front office staff will completely renovate two youth baseball fields at Shawnee Park this March. All labor will be volunteers and the Bats’ staff will be joined by participants from the Louisville Sports Commission and HUMANA.
  3. Continuing the “Playing it Forward” initiative with item drives for youth sports equipment during the 2022 baseball season. The Bats have partnered with Humana and Louisville Sports Commission each of the last three years for the campaign, working to provide new or gently-used youth baseball or softball equipment to low-and moderate-income families.
  4. Paying tribute and honoring the history of the former Negro League teams of Louisville on Friday, Sept. 2 vs. Indianapolis.

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For additional information on The Nine, visit MiLB.com.

Black History Month: The Best Black Players to Play for the Red Wings

 

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 or play for a team within its market.

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 Rochester Red Wings.

DON BAYLOR—Don Baylor played parts of three years for the Red Wings (1968, 1970-1971) winning The Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year award in 1970 (.327-22-107 with 26 SB) before starring for the legendary 1971 Red Wings team that won the Governors’ Cup and the Junior World Series. Baylor would play 19 years in the Major Leagues as an outfielder, first baseman and DH accumulating 2,135 hits and 338 home runs. He won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1979 with the Angels and played on the World Series winning Twins in 1987. After his playing days, Baylor managed the Rockies and the Cubs in the Major Leagues.

LUKE EASTER—Despite segregation keeping Luke Easter out of the big leagues until he was in his 30s, the slugging first baseman crushed more than 25 home runs three straight seasons for Cleveland from 1950 to 1952. Easter became one of the most feared sluggers in the International League after his Major League career was over winning the IL MVP with Buffalo in 1957. Even though he was well into his 40s, he played for parts of six years for the Red Wings at the end of his playing career, and—with his gregarious personality—became one of the most popular players to ever play in Rochester. His number 36 is one of only two retired numbers—along with Joe Altobelli—among former players in the long history of the Red Wings franchise.

BOB GIBSON—One of baseball’s greatest right-handed pitchers of all-time, Gibson won 251 games in a 17 year MLB career spent entirely with the Cardinals. A nine-time All Star, Gibson won the National League Cy Young Award in 1968 and 1970 while also winning the NL MVP Award in his historic 1968 season when he posted a 1.12 ERA. He was also one of the best fielding pitchers of all-time winning nine Gold Glove Awards. Additionally, Gibson performed well when it mattered most earning World Series MVP honors in 1964 and 1967. Gibson pitched in Rochester in 1958 and 1960 shortly after being a two sport athlete (baseball and basketball) at Creighton University in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Gibson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981.

EDDIE MURRAY—One of only six men with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in Major League history, Murray was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. The first baseman played 21 years in the big leagues winning the 1977 American League Rookie of the Year Award with the Orioles while being selected to the All Star Game eight times. The Los Angeles native has the second most hits (3,255) and the second most home runs (504) of any switch-hitter in baseball history. Amazingly, Murray started switch-hitting in 1975 while in the Minor Leagues…just one year before he joined the Red Wings. On an IL pennant winning team in 1976, Murray hit 11 home runs and batted .274 in only 54 games before making his Major League debut one season later.

FRANK ROBINSON—The first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history, Robinson was also the first African-American manager in the history of the Red Wings. Robinson first managed in the big leagues as a player/manager for Cleveland in 1975-1977 at the end of his Hall of Fame playing career. He took over as the Red Wings manager in 1978 after Ken Boyer left the team early in that season to take over as the big league skipper of the Cardinals. Aside from his original managerial stint with Cleveland, Robinson would also manage the Giants, Orioles, Expos and Nationals at the Major League level. In his stellar playing career, Robinson amassed the 10th most home runs in MLB history (586). He won the American League Triple Crown with Baltimore in 1966 while winning Most Valuable Player honors in both leagues….1961 with the Reds and 1966 with the Orioles. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Top Five Black Players In St. Paul Saints 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 on to long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great careers for the Saints 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 St. Paul Saints.

ROY CAMPANELLA

April 15, 1947 is an historic day in baseball history. Jackie Robinson became the first African American in Major League Baseball. Just three months later, on July 5, 1947, Larry Doby became the first African American in the American League. Those two men set the stage for other leagues to follow suit. On May 18, 1948, Roy Campanella broke the color barrier in the American Association with the St. Paul Saints. The Saints were the Triple-A affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers. After being buried on the Dodgers bench for the first month of the season, the Dodgers sent Campanella to St. Paul.

While there is debate on why Campanella was sent to the American Association, in his autobiography, “It’s Good To Be Alive,” Campanella said that Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, who integrated the Major Leagues with Robinson, wanted to also be responsible for integrating the American Association. His arrival was a cultural phenomenon in the primarily black Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul. Four days after he was sent to Saint Paul, future Hall of Fame Dodger manager Walter Alston, wrote Campanella into the lineup on May 22, 1948. It was a short stay for Campanella as he destroyed American Association pitching. Despite getting off to a slow start over his first few games, Campanella went on a tear for a month hitting ,325 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 35 games. By early July, Campanella was in Brooklyn where he would stay until his career ended in 1957.

DARRYL STRAWBERRY

His home runs have become legendary. Some grow 10 feet in length as each year goes by, none more so than the one he hit in Duluth. He put one organization on his back and they finished off what he started by winning a championship. He was the shot in the arm another organization needed and helped them win a World Series. What Darryl Strawberry did in 1996 is the perfect Hollywood script.

Following the 1994 season, Strawberry was sentenced to 60-days home confinement after being indicted on federal tax evasion plus a 60-day suspension by Major League Baseball for a positive cocaine test. When the Yankees signed him in June of 1995, he hit just three home runs in 32 games with the big club. After not being offered a contract in 1996, Strawberry signed with the St. Paul Saints. It was, and still is, the biggest signing in franchise history. Fans came from all over, both at home and on the road, to watch this “man among boys.” In 29 games for the Saints, Strawberry hit .435 with 18 home runs and 39 RBI, a .538 on base percentage, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.

That would be more than enough for the New York Yankees who elected to re-sign Strawberry on the 4th of July. The Saints would go on to win a championship that season, giving Strawberry his first ring of 1996. While with the Yankees, he hit .262 with 11 home runs and 36 RBI in 63 games while winning his second championship of the season, a World Series title with the Yankees. But it’s what he did over that memorable month of baseball with the Saints that helped him resurrect his career. As Strawberry said on more than one occasion, “St. Paul reminded me how much fun baseball was.”

LEON DURHAM

Don’t mess with the bull or you’ll get the horns. In the case of Leon “Bull” Durham, if you’re a pitcher you could expect a big, powerful swing that more than likely did extreme damage. Durham was out of baseball in 1992, but then something happened in 1993. A brand new Independent Professional Baseball League was formed known as the Northern League. This six-team league in the Midwest and Canada was a first chance, second chance league. First chance for guys who were never drafted out of college and second chance for guys who were released from Major League organizations.

The St. Paul Saints began their first year of existence in 1993 and were managed by former 10-year Major Leaguer, Tim Blackwell. Blackwell had been teammates with Durham with the Chicago Cubs and placed a call to his former teammate inquiring if he was interested in getting back into the game. Durham was interested and the league had its first marquee signing, helping put the Northern League, and the Saints, on the map.

Durham didn’t disappoint, hitting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBI in 65 games. He led the Saints to a 42-29 record, best in the Northern League, and they would go on to win the first Northern League Championship. Durham would come back in 1994 hitting .241 with eight homers and 26 RBI in 52 games. He turned his time with the Saints into a contract in Mexico later that year and would finish his career in 1996 with the California Angels Triple-A affiliate in Vancouver. But it was his time in St. Paul that perhaps put more eyes on Independent Professional Baseball helping it stay successful nearly 30 years later.

DAMON POLLARD

No one knew what to expect when the St. Paul Saints played their first season in 1993. How good would the baseball be? Would the team last past the Fourth of July? Would anyone show up? It didn’t take long to find out the baseball was high quality, the Saints would not only finish the season, but win a championship, and the fans came out in droves. That first team set the tone for the next 28 seasons as 11 players had their contract purchased by Major League organizations, a franchise record that stood each season the organization was an independent franchise. It included the first African American in Saints history to have his contract purchased, pitcher Damon Pollard.

The 5’8, 165 right-hander wasn’t big in stature, but he was a giant at the end of games. The former 14th round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 1990 out of the University of Southern Mississippi, reached High-A in 1992 before being released. He signed with the Saints in 1993 and was instrumental in the back end of the bullpen. He went 2-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 14 saves in 29 games (25 games finished). Across 31.2 innings he struck out 35. Not only that, but he fanned the final batter in the Championship Series as the Saints went on to defeat the Rochester Aces three-games-to-one and claim the first ever Northern League title.

Following the season, Pollard had his contract purchased by the Montreal Expos and spent the 1994 season with the Expos and Milwaukee Brewers Minor League affiliates before going back to the Expos organization in 1995.

While he will always be remembered as the pitcher that finished off that 1993 championship season, Pollard will also be remembered as the first African American to have his contract purchased by a Major League organization from the Saints.

CHARLIE NEAL

One season is all it took for Charlie Neal to make his mark. He showcased the talents that would lead him to the Major Leagues and an eventual World Series ring just two years after playing in the American Association in 1954. As a 23-year-old, Neal played for the Triple-A Saints and had an incredible season hitting .272 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI across 146 games. He led the team in hits, with 159, doubles (25), triples (13), and extra-base hits with 56. On top of that he swiped a team-leading 20 bases.

Following the 1954 season the Boston Red Sox reportedly inquired about purchasing Neal from the Dodgers for $100,000. The Dodgers turned it down, but had the deal gone through there was a legitimate chance that Neal would have become the first African American player in Red Sox history.

Neal made the Major Leagues in 1956 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, making the move to Los Angeles with the franchise in 1958. Just one year later Neal helped the Dodgers win their second title, and first in Los Angeles. He was a Gold Glove second baseman in 1959 and helped tie the Milwaukee Braves by the close of the 154-game season. He played a key role in helping the Dodgers sweep the Braves in the tie-breaker series with five hits in 12 at bats. He hit .370 in a six-game series victory over the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Overall, Neal played eight seasons in the Major Leagues for the Dodgers, New York Mets, and Cincinnati Reds.

Before more than 1,200 Worcester Public Schools Students, WooSox and Red Sox Stars Commemorate Jackie Robinson’s Birthday on the Eve of Black History Month 

 

Stories and lessons come from Josh Ockimey, Oil Can Boyd, and Rich Gedman.

WORCESTER, MA — In 1997, on the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s dismantling of Major League Baseball’s color barrier, Worcester Red Sox President Dr. Charles Steinberg, then Executive Vice President of the San Diego Padres, watched as a reporter kneeled next to a little girl to ask if she knew who Jackie was.

“I’ve heard of her, but I don’t exactly know what she did,” she replied.

The admission was innocent, but Steinberg worried. The perceived threat to Robinson’s memory galvanized him into establishing a tradition in 2003 with the Boston Red Sox, which he brought to Pawtucket and now Worcester: gathering with local students annually on Robinson’s birth date, January 31—also the eve of Black History Month—to celebrate Robinson’s legacy through the telling of stories and lessons. For the 20th consecutive year, the Hall of Famer’s legacy was celebrated by New England’s premier baseball teams.

Over 1,200 students from Worcester Public Schools, their teachers, and Worcester Superintendent Maureen Binienda tuned into Monday morning’s one-hour Zoom event, “A Celebration of Jackie Robinson.” The children, from more than a dozen schools, were all 4th, 5th, or 6th graders. They listened to WooSox star first baseman Josh Ockimey, WooSox hitting coach and Red Sox Hall of Famer Rich Gedman, former pennant-winning pitcher Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, and businessman and civil rights leader Frank Jordan.

“The Red Sox have won four World Series since Jackie broke baseball’s color barrier [in 1947],” Steinberg said. “Can you imagine if the Boston Red Sox weren’t allowed to have David Ortiz on the team? No Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., or Xander Bogaerts?”

Segregation seems unimaginable today, but it was only 75 years ago that Black players couldn’t intermingle with white players on the baseball diamond. For more than a decade afterward, in many cities, Black players couldn’t stay at the same hotels or eat at the same restaurants as their white counterparts.

Ockimey—whom students gleefully and audibly welcomed—said he first comprehended the magnitude of Robinson’s influence in first grade, when his father taught him about the Negro Leagues and took him on a trip to Cooperstown. Ockimey was born in Philadelphia in 1995, long after Jim Crow laws dissipated, but he said that as a Black man in America, he often feels he must work twice as hard as everyone else.

Boyd, a fifth-generation professional ballplayer, reflected on his childhood in the ’60s and ’70s in Meridian, Mississippi.

“My whole family grew up playing baseball,” Boyd said. “I’d often hear names like Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, and Cool Papa Bell, and I’d try to imitate them, too.”

Boyd played collegiately at Jackson State University before the Red Sox selected him in the 16th round of the 1980 amateur draft. The lithe and affable right-hander catapulted the Red Sox into the World Series in 1986 with a career-high 16 wins. His battery-mate was Gedman, Worcester’s own two-time All-Star and Red Sox Hall of Famer.

Like Boyd, Jordan grew up in the segregated South. He credited Robinson with giving him the belief that times would change. Now the co-founder of the Boston Area Church League and Special Advisor to the Red Sox for two decades, Jordan devotes himself to bringing positive change to Boston’s youth through baseball.

“Baseball as a sport has done so much to open the door of communication that bring people together,” Jordan said. “To the kids: Get to know your classmates. Get to know your friends. You will find that we all have so much in common. That is the best avenue to change the world and make it a better place.”

Gedman echoed the sentiment.

“[In a clubhouse], the most important thing is listening, to hear what other people think and feel,” Gedman said. “Sometimes we assume everyone thinks like we do. Everyone is a part of the team, and [in WooSox ’21], nobody thought they were more special than anyone else, and we went out and played like a team.”

Steinberg concluded the WooSox’ third annual event with the reminder that positive change takes time, courage, and a willingness to get involved, adding that it’s already in motion for women in baseball. He pointed to the New York Yankees’ recent hiring of Rachel Balkovec, baseball’s first woman manager. Days after, the Red Sox became the first organization to have two women coaches in their organization in Bianca Smith and Katie Krall.

“The next Jackie Robinson is going to be Jacqueline Robinson,” Steinberg said. “Women are great athletes who play their hearts out, and no woman should be deprived of playing baseball if she can play. You might just find that there’s a woman who can throw that ball with the best of them and run like the wind.”

Perhaps the future Jacqueline Robinson heard his words Monday.

Red Wings Join “The Nine”, A New Initiative To Celebrate, Engage, And Welcome Black Fans

 

Minor League Baseball has announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace

Minor League Baseball has announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión — the Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders in all 120 MiLB communities, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and in the community. Recent tributes and celebrations have included Negro Leagues commemorative games honoring the Austin Black Senators in Round Rock (TX), the Bradenton (FL) Nine Devils, and Page Fence Giants near Lansing (MI). Additional tribute games are being planned for the 2022 season and beyond.

“The Nine will shine bright spotlights on these successful initiatives and transform them into national campaigns reaching more fans and communities, further showcasing our teams’ commitment to representing, honoring, and welcoming all fans to MiLB’s unique brand of fun,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Nine is just the latest example of MiLB teams being true community champions.”

In addition to player- and team-related content, The Nine will focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access.

Central to this youth-focused push is a planned expansion of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program throughout MiLB’s national footprint. New competitions in MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Junior Home Run Derby event series will also debut in MiLB markets beginning in 2022.

MiLB teams will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

With several MiLB teams having a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in their community, opportunities will be provided for those schools to start internship and mentorship programs with their local team, creating opportunities for on-the-job experience for students prior to entering the job market. Additionally, MiLB recently partnered with TeamWork Online to create a more inclusive virtual job fair and ongoing talent pipeline that aims to recruit and position qualified and ready-for-hire candidates from across the country for potential management- and executive-level roles within MiLB team front offices.

Minor League Baseball Announces “The Nine,” a New Initiative to Celebrate, Engage, and Welcome Black Fans

NEW YORK, NY, Feb. 1, 2022 — Minor League Baseball® (MiLB™) today announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders in all 120 MiLB communities, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and in the community. Recent tributes and celebrations have included Negro Leagues commemorative games honoring the Austin Black Senators in Round Rock (TX), the Bradenton (FL) Nine Devils, and Page Fence Giants near Lansing (MI). Additional tribute games are being planned for the 2022 season and beyond.

“The Nine will shine bright spotlights on these successful initiatives and transform them into national campaigns reaching more fans and communities, further showcasing our teams’ commitment to representing, honoring, and welcoming all fans to MiLB’s unique brand of fun,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Nine is just the latest example of MiLB teams being true community champions.”

In addition to player- and team-related content, The Nine will focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access.

Central to this youth-focused push is a planned expansion of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program throughout MiLB’s national footprint. New competitions in MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Junior Home Run Derby event series will also debut in MiLB markets beginning in 2022.

MiLB teams will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

With several MiLB teams having a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in their community, opportunities will be provided for those schools to start internship and mentorship programs with their local team, creating opportunities for on-the-job experience for students prior to entering the job market. Additionally, MiLB recently partnered with TeamWork Online to create a more inclusive virtual job fair and ongoing talent pipeline that aims to recruit and position qualified and ready-for-hire candidates from across the country for potential management- and executive-level roles within MiLB team front offices.

###

*About Minor League Baseball *

Minor League Baseball consists of 120 teams across four classification levels (Single-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) that are affiliated with Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. Fans flock to MiLB games to see baseball’s future stars and experience the affordable family-friendly entertainment that has been a staple of MiLB since 1901. For more information, visit MiLB.com. Follow MiLB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

“The Nine” – The best Black players in Jacksonville 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 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 Jacksonville, plus a legendary Negro leagues star with ties to the city.

HENRY AARON

At just 15 years old in 1949, Aaron earned a tryout with the Brooklyn Dodgers, but his unorthodox batting grip likely contributed to the team deciding not to offer him a contract (incidentally, the first time Aaron hit conventionally with his right hand on top of his left, which he was instructed to do in 1952, he homered). He signed instead with a semi-pro team called the Mobile Black Bears, collecting $3 per game. Aaron’s mother, Estella, only granted Henry permission to play with the Black Bears on the condition that he did not travel with the team, thus limiting him to games in their hometown of Mobile.

Two years later, Henry inked a deal for $200 per month as a shortstop with the Negro American League champion Indianapolis Clowns. Immediately, Aaron excelled, batting .366 with five home runs and nine stolen bases in 26 games to help Indianapolis win the 1952 Negro Leagues World Series. He was just 18 years old.

Aaron’s instantaneous stardom quickly caught the eye of several major league organizations. He signed with the Braves, who assigned him to Class A Jacksonville for the 1953 season. Along with Black teammates Horace Garner and Felix Mantilla, Aaron integrated the South Atlantic League. Despite the pressure of breaking the color line in places like Montgomery, Ala., Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah, Ga., and Charleston and Columbia, S.C., Aaron led the league in batting average (.362), runs scored (115), hits (208), doubles (36), total bases (338) and RBIs (135). He spurred Jacksonville to the league championship and was named MVP. As one scribe wrote in regards to Aaron’s performance while navigating the Jim Crow laws that still governed the South at the time, “Henry Aaron led the league in everything except hotel accommodations.”

The next season, Aaron made his major league debut for the Milwaukee Braves, sparking a career that can be argued as the greatest in baseball history. He wound up launching 755 home runs in an extraordinary 23-year career, but even if he didn’t hit a single long ball in his career, Aaron still would have totaled more than 3,000 hits. He accumulated an MLB record 6,856 total bases; second-place Stan Musial is closer to 10th-place Carl Yastrzemski than he is to Aaron in first. Aaron knocked in 2,297 runs, the most in major league history. When he finally retired, he had scored 2,174 runs, the most of any National League player (he has since been passed by Barry Bonds).

Add it all up, and Aaron was a 25-time All-Star (some seasons during his playing days had more than one All-Star Game). That number is so staggering it blows the mind. It’s more All-Star Games than Tom Seaver and Frank Robinson combined. It’s as many All-Star Games that Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Schmidt can tally up. Even fellow Jacksonville Hall of Fame alums Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan and Phil Niekro combined for 23 All-Star Games between the three of them.

Aaron’s greatness is synonymous with more than just baseball because of how much he had to endure outside of the ballpark. Sadly, the blatant racism he began encountering with Jacksonville in 1953 was a harbinger of things to come. Aaron still rose above it in every single step of the journey anyway.

WILLIE WILSON

The Kansas City Royals’ first-round pick in 1974, Willie Wilson batted .253/.309/.325 with Double-A Jacksonville in 1976. Though he was still growing his game as a 20-year-old talent, he made his major league debut the same season for Kansas City and go on to play 19 seasons for the Royals.

Wilson did virtually everything during his big league career; 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 set all-time Royals records with 612 steals and a preposterous 13 inside-the-park home runs. Simply put, he was a dazzling player, finishing with 46.1 career bWAR and earning induction into the Royals Hall of Fame.

After playing 15 seasons with the Royals, including the 1985 campaign that saw the franchise win its first World Series title, Wilson played two years with Oakland before a pair of seasons with the Cubs to finish his career.

GIANCARLO STANTON

The 2009 season for Giancarlo Stanton, then known as Mike, was a remarkable campaign on his rise towards stardom in the major leagues. At just 19 years old, Stanton wound up leading both High-A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville in home runs despite playing in just 50 and 79 games, respectively, with the clubs.

Stanton returned to Jacksonville to start the 2010 campaign and mashed 15 home runs in his first 28 games, tallying 28 walks, 28 runs and 33 RBIs with a batting line of .340/.481/.854 during that stretch. After 52 games, he was hitting .313/.442/.729 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs before the Marlins called him up to the major leagues.

In 12 MLB seasons since with the Marlins and New York Yankees, Stanton has walloped 347 long balls while batting .268/.358/.543 (143 OPS+). A four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Stanton was named the 2017 NL MVP after leading MLB in both home runs (59) and RBIs (132). His slugging percentage (.631) and OPS+ (169) topped the National League during that campaign.

Stanton also finished second in the MVP balloting in 2014 after besting the NL in homers (37) and slugging percentage (.555).

FRANK WHITE

Frank White is perhaps the most successful graduate of the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy – established by team owner Ewing Kauffman and run by Syd Thrift – 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. Like many of the Academy’s projects, Frank White had not been drafted. The Royals developed him into one of the leading second basemen of his generation.

One of the greatest defensive second basemen in major league history, White reached Double-A Jacksonville at just 21 years old in 1971. He slashed .252/.316/.318 with 13 stolen bases in 16 attempts over 91 games. Sadly, he was the only African-American player with Jacksonville at the time, so at various stops, his teammates would bring him food and drinks while he remained on the bus. White moved up to Triple-A Omaha to start the 1972 season before making his big league debut for the Royals later in that 1972 campaign.

Along with Wilson and other Royals legends like George Brett, White helped form the nucleus of Kansas City teams that won six division titles, two AL pennants and the 1985 World Series from 1976-85. Over a remarkable 18-year career, White earned 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.

JOHN JORDAN “BUCK” O’NEIL

One of six members of the incoming Hall of Fame baseball class in 2022, John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil lived perhaps the most impactful life in baseball history.

Raised in Sarasota, Fla., O’Neil made his way to Jacksonville after receiving a scholarship to Edward Waters College, where he played both baseball and football. In 1937, he began his 11-season playing career in the Negro leagues, 10 of which would come with the legendary Kansas City Monarchs. O’Neil won a pair of batting titles, hitting .345 in 1940 and .350 in 1946 and developed a reputation as a smooth-fielding first baseman. He also managed the Monarchs from 1948-1955, leading the team to four Negro American League titles.

Though he never reached the major leagues as a player, O’Neil is credited with becoming both MLB’s first Black scout and coach. O’Neil is credited with scouting Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Lou Brock and Lee Smith, as well as other prominent major leaguers like Joe Carter and Oscar Gamble.

In addition to his work as a player, manager, scout and coach, O’Neil spent much of the later decades of his life as an advocate for the Negro leagues. He served as founder and board chairman of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum before dying in 2006 at the age of 94.

The Baseball Hall of Fame honors O’Neil’s legacy with the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given to individuals whose extraordinary efforts enhanced baseball’s positive impact on society, broadened the game’s appeal and whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to the qualities exhibited by O’Neil.

BONUS: JOHN HENRY “POP” LLOYD

Though it is not certain where exactly Lloyd was born in Florida, he was raised by his grandmother in and around Jacksonville during his childhood. Often regarded as the greatest shortstop in the history of the Negro leagues thanks to his batting, fielding and base-stealing prowess, Lloyd enjoyed a 25-year career in which he regularly batted over .300.

As a player, Lloyd spent time with the Cuban X-Giants, Philadelphia Giants, Chicago Leland Giants, New York Lincoln Giants, Chicago American Giants, New York Lincoln Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants, New York Bacharach Giants, Columbus Buckeyes, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, Hilldale Daisies and the Harlem Stars. Lloyd also managed four of those teams over a span of six years while playing.

During his playing career, Lloyd was often compared with Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner. While playing in Cuba, Lloyd earned the nickname “El Cuchara” (translated to English meaning “The Tablespoon” or “The Shovel”), for how he characteristically scooped up a glove-full of dirt from the ground every time he fielded a ball, similar to the style of Wagner.

Unfortunately, like many Negro leagues players, Lloyd passed away before he was elected into the Hall of Fame. His election came in 1977, 13 years after his death.

BEST OF THE REST

MARQUIS GRISSOM

Grissom batted .299/.365/.414 with Jacksonville in 1989 before embarking on a 17-year major league career. He helped the Atlanta Braves win the 1995 World Series and also spent time with the Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Indians. Grissom was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner and two-time All-Star.

DELINO DeSHIELDS

Like Grissom, DeShields was a member of the 1989 Jacksonville Expos, slashing a robust .270/.413/.371. He went on to play 13 seasons in the major leagues for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, tallying eight seasons with at least 35 stolen bases.

MATT KEMP

Kemp hit .327/.402/.528 in 48 games with Jacksonville in 2006, a season that saw him later make his MLB debut. A three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glover and two-time Silver Slugger over a 15-year career mainly with the Dodgers, Kemp finished playing with 1,808 hits and 287 home runs. He finished second in the NL MVP balloting in 2011 after batting .324/.399/.586 while leading the league in both home runs (39) and RBIs (126).

DAVE ROBERTS

Roberts put up stellar numbers with Jacksonville in both 1997 and 1998 as a Detroit Tigers farmhand. He is perhaps most well-known in his playing career for stealing second base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, helping to ignite the Boston Red Sox to a historic 3-0 series comeback over the New York Yankees and eventually leading the club to its first World Series title since 1918. Roberts has served as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2016, winning five NL West division titles, three NL pennants and the 2020 World Series.

JAMES LONEY

Loney slashed .264/.339/.378 as a member of both the 2004 and 2005 Jacksonville Suns. He made his debut for the Dodgers in 2006 and wound up playing 11 seasons in the major leagues with Los Angeles, the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. He owns a career MLB batting line of .284/.336/.410.

EDWIN JACKSON

A member of the Jacksonville Suns in both 2003 and 2005, Jackson played for 14 different MLB teams in his 17-year career. He was an All-Star with Detroit in 2009, when he went 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts covering 214.0 innings. Jackson also helped the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals capture the franchise’s 11th World Series championship.

Black History Month: Indy Celebrates Indians, Clowns and ABCs History

 

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 or play for a team within its market.

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 Indianapolis Indians, Indianapolis Clowns and Indianapolis ABCs.

Andrew McCutchen

After being selected by Pittsburgh as the 11th overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, it took just two years for outfielder Andrew McCutchen to rise from rookie ball to Triple-A. Following a brief 17-game showing with Indianapolis in 2007 in which he hit .313, he paced the 2008 Indians in batting average (.283), hits (145), doubles (26) and OPS (.770) while finishing second in stolen bases (34) to earn himself a spot on the International League midseason All-Star team and a selection to the Futures Game.

Despite the stellar season, the budding five-tool superstar found himself in Indy once again to start the 2009 campaign. He hit safely in 17 of his last 20 games in an Indians uniform, compiling a .368 average, nine extra-base hits, 11 RBI and 16 runs scored during the stretch. He then broke into the majors with Pittsburgh on June 4 and collected two hits, three runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base in his MLB debut, and never looked back. He has become a five-time National League All-Star (2011-15), four-time Silver Slugger (2012-15), Gold Glove Award winner (2012) and MVP (2013). His NL MVP honor made him just the sixth former Indian to win an MVP Award and the first since Hall of Famer Larry Walker in 1997.

In addition to his numerous on-the-field accolades, McCutchen was presented with the Roberto Clemente Award in 2015, given annually to an MLB player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”

Razor Shines

A name synonymous with Indianapolis Indians baseball, Razor Shines played in over 800 games for the Indians across nine seasons (1984-89, 1991-93). Shines’ best season with Indianapolis came in 1984, his first campaign in the Circle City, when he had 26 doubles, 18 home runs and 80 RBI to earn Team MVP honors. Overall, his longevity and success has him among Indy’s all-time leaders in home runs (T-3rd, 68), RBI (4th, 404) and doubles (5th, 138).

While he only saw brief major league action in parts of four seasons, Shines played a huge role in guiding Indianapolis to American Association supremacy throughout the 1980s. He was part of four American Association pennant-winning teams (1984, ’86, 1988-89) and contributed to four consecutive AA postseason championships (1986-89). His image and likeness will forever be connected to the baby-blue Montreal Expos uniform era of dominance in Indianapolis Indians history.

Shines served as a player-coach for Indy in 1993, the final year of his playing career, and attended the final game played at Bush Stadium on July 3, 1996. He managed and coached for various minor and major league teams (White Sox, 2007; Mets, 2009-10) up through 2015. Shines most recently returned to Indianapolis in August 2019 to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Indians 1989 American Association championship during Fan Appreciation Weekend.

Minnie Miñoso

After three years with the New York Cubans of the Negro National League, two of which he was named an All-Star, Minnie Miñoso made his major league debut with Cleveland on April 19, 1949, at 23 years old. Following the Golden Days Era Committee vote in December 2021, he will become the 13th former Indianapolis Indian enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

In 17 major league seasons, Miñoso – nicknamed the Cuban Comet – consistently ranked among American League leaders, topping the AL three times in stolen bases (1951-53) and triples (1951, ’54, ’56), and once in total bases (1954), doubles (1957) and hits (1960). The nine-time All-Star (1951-54, ‘57, 1959-60 [midseason and postseason]) and three-time Gold Glove Award winner (1957, 1959-60) finished fourth in AL MVP voting four times, the first coming in his first full MLB season when he also finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

Miñoso, at age 38, appeared in 52 games with Indianapolis – then-affiliate of Chicago (AL) – in 1964. He hit .264 (47-for-178) with 11 doubles, four home runs, 26 RBI and six stolen bases. It was his first trip back to the minor leagues since 1950 with Triple-A San Diego. He was inducted into the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 and received 14 votes from the 16-member Golden Days Era Committee on Dec. 5, 2021, to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Miñoso, who died on March 1, 2015, will be officially inducted posthumously in the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 on July 24 in Cooperstown.

Hank Aaron

In 23 years in Major League Baseball, Hank Aaron became known as one of the best to ever step foot on a diamond. He hammered – a good testament to his well-known nickname, Hammerin’ Hank – 755 home runs over the course of his lengthy major league career, with an MLB-leading 44 in 1957 when he was voted National League MVP. He is the current record holder for career RBI (2,297) and total bases (6,856) over 3,298 games. He spent 21 of his 23 MLB seasons with the Braves, from Milwaukee to Atlanta where he died in 2021. However, that’s not where his career began.

As an 18-year-old, Aaron spent 26 official games donning an Indianapolis Clowns uniform. That’s according to The Howe Sports Bureau, because those stats can seldom be found anywhere else. In those games, he hit .366 with five home runs, 33 RBI, 41 hits and nine stolen bases – numbers that do not count toward his career MLB totals.

Over his career, he led MLB four times in RBI (1957, ’60, ’63 and ’66) and total bases (1957, 1959-60, ’63), three times in slugging percentage and OPS (1959, ’63, and ’71), twice in total hits (1956, ’59) and runs (1963 and ’67), and once in batting average (1959), not to mention the seasons in which he just led the National League. In addition to his 1957 NL MVP Award – the year in which he led the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series title over the Yankees – he was named an All-Star 25 times over 21 consecutive seasons from 1955-75, earned MVP votes 19 consecutive seasons from 1955-73 and won three Gold Glove Awards (1958-60).

Oscar Charleston

Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston’s long and historic career began in his hometown of Indianapolis. After working as the batboy for the Indianapolis ABCs as a child and spending his mid-to-late teenage years serving in World War I, Charleston hit cleanup for the ABCs in 1920, the first year of the National Negro League.

Nicknamed the Hoosier Comet, Charleston led the league with 122 hits, 80 runs scored and 11 triples that season. After a year away, he returned to Indianapolis in ’22 and continued to flash his speed and just a hint of power. He led the league in almost every offensive category that season, setting career highs in games played (101), runs scored (105), total hits (150), triples (18) and RBI (102). In 18 years with seven different teams, Charleston played in 916 games and hit .364 with 80 triples, 143 home runs, 853 RBI and 209 stolen bases.

During his playing career Charleston also served as manager of the Harrisburg Giants (1924-26), Hilldale Club (1929), the Pittsburgh Crawfords-turned Toledo/Indianapolis Crawfords (1933-40) and Philadelphia Stars (1941). He managed the Stars in 1948 at the age of 51 and came out of retirement in 1954 to manage the Indianapolis Clowns, a team that featured two women – Connie Morgan and Mamie “Peanut” Johnson – on its roster.

Other Black players who played for the Indians or in the Indianapolis market and narrowly missed top five recognition include George Foster, Ken Griffey Sr., Eric Davis, Hal McRae, Don Buford, Dallas Williams and Larry Raines.

Bulls Join MiLB In Launch Of “The Nine” Outreach Program

 

The Durham Bulls in conjunction with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) today announced the launch of “The Nine”, a new, Black-community focused outreach platform across MiLB specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball

The Durham Bulls in conjunction with Minor League Baseball (MiLB) today announced the launch of “The Nine”, a new, Black-community focused outreach platform across MiLB specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans through MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in Minor League Baseball with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversion Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and communities. Recent tributes and celebrations at Durham Bulls Athletic Park have included the Bulls’ Negro Leagues Night and Juneteenth Series commemorations.

This year, the Bulls will pay tribute to the former Negro League teams of Durham and celebrate the achievements of the Bull City’s Black community on Sunday, June 19. Tickets for that evening’s game against the Louisville Bats will be available starting Wednesday, February 2.

The Nine will also focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access in line with the Durham Bulls’ efforts with the Durham Bulls Youth Athletic League.

The Bulls, along with other MiLB teams, will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

The Bulls begin their Triple-A National Title defense on the road in Nashville on Tuesday, April 5 before returning to the DBAP for a five-game series versus the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Tuesday, April 12. For more information on full-season and mini plan packages, please call 919.956.BULL.

Top 5 Black Players in Nashville Sounds 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 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 Nashville Sounds.

Skeeter Barnes

William Henry “Skeeter” Barnes III ranks as one of the all-time fan favorites at old Greer Stadium and currently stands as the Nashville Sounds all-time leader in hits (517), at-bats (1,898) and games played (514) and ranks second in doubles (94) and runs scored (237), and third in RBI (232).

He played two stints with the Sounds, in 1979 (Double-A, Cincinnati Reds) and again from 1988-90 (Triple-A, Cincinnati Reds).

Barnes enjoyed success during both stints as a member of the Sounds. He was a member of Nashville’s first Southern League championship-winning squad in 1979, pacing the club with 145 games played in his second year as a pro.

He excelled at the plate during his second go-round in Music City as he led the Triple-A American Association with 39 doubles in 1989 and earned a spot on the league’s postseason All-Star team. In 1990, he led the circuit with 156 hits and also ranked among league leaders with 83 runs scored and 34 stolen bases. He helped guide the Sounds to a berth in the American Association Championship Series in which they fell in the best-of-five series, 3-2.

The 16-year veteran spent time in the Cincinnati, Montreal, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Detroit organizations during his career after being selected by the Reds in the first round (16th overall selection) of the 1978 June Draft.

Barnes’ versatility as a utility player earned him a spot on several big league teams. He spent parts of nine major league seasons with the Reds, Expos, Cardinals and Tigers, and hit .259 over 353 games. He played seven different positions at the major-league level.

Skeeter Barnes’ #00 was retired by the Nashville Sounds in the early 1990s.

Prince Fielder

One of the most feared hitters during his prime, Prince Fielder’s final stop in the minor leagues before Major League stardom was with the Nashville Sounds during the 2005 season. Fielder was part of a loaded Nashville squad that included other Brewers’ top prospects such as Rickie Weeks, Nelson Cruz, Corey Hart, Dave Krynzel and Brad Nelson. The 2005 Nashville team is the franchise’s last to win a League Championship.

Fielder was drafted by Milwaukee with the 7th overall pick of the 2002 June Draft and quickly climbed the minor league ranks. At just 20 years old, Fielder took the Pacific Coast League by storm and hit .291 with 21 doubles, 28 home runs and 86 RBI before getting called up by the Brewers for the final time in mid-August.

In his first full big-league season in 2006, Fielder clubbed 28 home runs and 35 doubles to go with 81 RBI. He finished 7th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. It was a sign of things to come for the young slugger.

He hit an NL-leading 50 home runs in 2007, scored 109 runs and drove in 119 on his way to his first Major League All-Star Game. He finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting, one of three times he finished in the top-5 (2009, 2011).

Fielder played seven seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers before signing with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2012 season. In two seasons with Detroit, Fielder didn’t miss a single regular season game and knocked in 214 runs.

He was traded to the Texas Rangers prior to the 2014 season and went on to play in parts of three seasons with Texas before injuries cut his career short at just 32 years old.

Fielder was a six-time MLB All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and a two-time Home Run Derby Champion. He played in over 1,600 big league games and drove in 1,028 runs. He finished his career with 321 doubles and 319 home runs.

Otis Nixon

17-year Major League veteran Otis Nixon spent parts of two seasons with the Sounds in 1981 and 1982. Nixon is the Sounds’ all-time leader in stolen bases with 133 after swiping a franchise record 72 bags in 1981 and 61 in 1982.

Nixon and the 1982 Sounds club went on to win the Southern League Championship as the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Following his 199-game career with Nashville, Nixon saw big league action for the first time in 1983 when he played in 13 games with the Yankees.

The speedy center fielder went on to play in 1,709 Major League games. In addition to New York-AL, he logged big league action with Cleveland, Montreal, Atlanta, Boston, Texas, Toronto, Los Angeles-NL and Minnesota. Nixon notched 620 stolen bases in his Major League career – the 16th-most in baseball history. He recorded 50 or more stolen bases five times in his career (1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997).

Willie McGee

Before he was the 1985 National League MVP, Willie McGee was a Nashville Sound. The long-time St. Louis Cardinals outfielder began his Sounds career in 1980 when he was just 21 years old. McGee played 78 games for Nashville in 1980 and another 100 games in 1981. During the two years, McGee was with the Sounds, the club racked up 178 wins as the New York Yankees’ Southern League Double-A affiliate.

McGee broke into the big leagues in 1982 and never looked back on his way to an 18-year big league career. He finished 3rd in National League Rookie of the Year voting and helped the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series Championship. His second year in the big leagues included a Gold Glove award and his first All-Star Game selection.

The 1985 season brought a whole new level of success for the 26-year-old McGee. In his fourth big league season, McGee led the National League with a .353 average, 216 hits and 18 triples while swiping 56 bases. Not only did he earn NL MVP honors, but he also garnered his second All-Star nod, his second Gold Glove award and his first Silver Slugger award.

McGee added All-Star Game appearances in 1987 and 1988. In the second half of his career, McGee briefly played for Oakland before spending four years in San Francisco and a season in Boston before returning to St. Louis for the final four years of his career.

The California native played in 2,201 games and amassed 2,254 hits, 1,010 runs scored, 350 doubles, 856 RBI and 352 stolen bases.

James Baldwin

One of the best pitchers in Nashville Sounds history is none other than James Baldwin. The right-hander spent parts of four seasons (1993-96) with the club and is among career leaders in several pitching categories.

Baldwin ranks among career leaders in strikeouts (4th, 321), starts (6th, 56) and wins (10th, 23). The North Carolina native went 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 10 starts in 1993 and followed it in 1994 by going 12-6 with a 3.72 ERA in 26 starts. Baldwin’s success was a major factor in both of those Sounds teams winning 80+ games.

The former top prospect in the White Sox organization made his Major League debut in 1995 and went on to pitch in parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues. In 266 career Major League games, Baldwin went 79-74 with a 5.01 ERA. In 1996, Baldwin finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting after he went 11-6 with a 4.42 ERA. In 2000, he won 14 games and was an American League All-Star.

Baldwin pitched for Chicago-AL, Los Angeles-NL, Seattle, Minnesota, New York-NL, Baltimore and Texas.