Black Baseball Players

Baseball is very much popular not only all across the United States but also all over the world. And because baseball is composed of different leagues and different baseball teams, there are also different baseball players on field, including the black baseball players. The black baseball players have contributed a lot to this sport. Below are some of the most successful and famous baseball black players of all time.

Ray Brown- Ray Brown was born on February 23, 1908 and died on February 8, 1965. He was one of the most popular baseball black players of all time, and exclusively played for the Homestead Grays. He was very notable for his baseball pitching accomplishment. He was born in Alger, Ohio and was popular for his large variety of baseball pitches. But his most popular baseball pitch was said to he his curveball. In fact, he was very confident with his curveball, firing it to a baseball batter, regardless of the counts. He played for the Homestead Grays who was owned by another baseball black baseball player, Cum Posey. Interestingly, Brown married the daughter of Cum Posey, Ethel.

Oscar McKinley Charleston- This American center fielder is also a very famous black baseball player. Born on October 14, 1896, Charleston was also a manager for a Negro Baseball league from 1915 to 1945. According to Bill James, a famous baseball historian, Charleston was ranked as fourth best baseball player, all throughout the history of baseball. He was born in Indianapolis in Indiana, where he joined the Army at a young age of fifteen, where he served in the Republic of the Philippines. Upon his return to the United States, he began playing baseball for the Indianapolis ABCs in 1915. Aside from playing, he also served as a manager for the Chicago American Giants, the Lincoln Stars, the St. Louis Giants, the Harrisburg Giants, the Philadelphia Hilldales, the Homestead Grays, and the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

Larry Doby-Another addition to the long list of black baseball players is Lawrence Eugene “Larry” Doby, born on December 13, 1923 and died on June 18, 2003. Larry was a professional baseball player from the Negro League and the Major League Baseball. He was a native of Camden in South Carolina, and was considered as the second black baseball player to ever play for the modern major leagues. Additionally, he was also the first black player to make it to the American League. He appeared in seven All-Star baseball games, playing as a center fielder. In 1954, he ended up second placer for the American League’s search fro the Most Valuable Player. He was appointed as manager for the White Sox in 1978, making him the second African-American to ever lead a Major League Baseball club. In 1998, he was a Baseball Hall of Fame recipient by the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joshua Gibson- Born on December 21,1911 in Buena Vista, Georgia, Joshua Gibson was a catcher from the Negro Baseball League. He played for a baseball team called the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1930-1937 and decided to play for the Homestead Grays from 1937-1946. During his baseball career, he stood six-foot one inch, and weighed two hundred and fifty-sox pounds. A number of baseball historians have considered Gibson to be one of the very few best baseball catchers. Aside from being a very good catcher, he was also a power hitter from different baseball leagues, including the Major Leagues, because under the Gentleman’s Agreement policies of the said league, non-whites were excluded during his lifetime.

There are other very popular black baseball players that have contributed a lot to the sport. Race is never an issue when it comes to sport. That is why; we see a number of baseball players from different race and cultural backgrounds, all united for one purpose, and that is, to play baseball.