Jackie Robinson’s 15 heirs
In 1946, the Sporting News baseball publication wrote that there was “not a single Negro player with major league capabilities.” This season marks the 75th anniversary of the date (April 15, 1947) Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the major leagues since the 1880s. Robinson overcame terrible prejudices to show that Black players are just as good, and often better, than white players.
But it wasn’t just Robinson. Others were the first Black players on their Major League Baseball teams too.
The United States was a deeply segregated country in the 1940s. Sports were as segregated as any other aspect of American society.
Black players played in separate baseball leagues called the Negro Leagues. Many white people, like the editors of the Sporting News, thought that Black players were not good enough to make it in the major leagues.
When the Cleveland Indians selected Larry Doby to be the first Black player in the American League, he faced many of the same challenges as Robinson. Doby said later that “It was 11 weeks between the time Jackie Robinson and I came into the majors. I can’t see how things were any different for me than they were for him.”
Unlike Robinson, who was a sensation in his first season, Doby started slowly, hitting only .156 in 1947. But he improved and became a nine-time All-Star as the Indians’ centerfielder.
In 1950, Sam Jethroe, who had played seven seasons for the Cleveland Buckeyes in the Negro Leagues, joined the Boston (now Atlanta) Braves and was the National League Rookie of the Year at age 33.
A year later, Minnie Minoso became the first Black player to play for the Chicago White Sox. Minoso, who was born in Cuba, played in 13 All-Star games and batted .299 for his long career.
From 1949 to 1959, nine of the 11 players named the Most Valuable Player in the National League were players who had played in the Negro Leagues. These MVP-caliber players included Hall of Famers such as Robinson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and Ernie Banks.
Still, many teams were slow to accept Black players.
Three of the 16 MLB teams at the time — the Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox — waited more than 10 years after Robinson’s debut in 1947 to have Black players on their rosters.
It is important to remember and honor Jackie Robinson. But it is also important to remember the other talented and courageous players who helped change sports — and America — for the better.
Jackie Robinson’s career stats: 1,382 games played over 10 seasons, all for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 1,563 hits, 141 home runs, and 761 RBIs in 4997 atbats, for a .313 average and a .410 OBP. He played in seven All-Star games and was the 1949 National League MVP.
He led the league twice in WAR and finished his career with 63.8. Jackie Robinson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962.