These stars got their start in Negro Leagues

February 1st, 2024

The National Baseball Hall of Fame includes 37 members who were inducted largely or entirely based on their careers in the Negro Leagues.

But there are also other stars who got their start in the Negro Leagues before going on to achieve greatness in the integrated Majors. Here are the 10 most notable names on the list, in alphabetical order.

Hank Aaron
A teenaged Aaron had a short stint with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League as a shortstop, but it lasted only a few months before the Braves purchased his contract in June 1952. After two years in the Minors, Aaron made his NL debut at age 20 in 1954 and went on to shatter Babe Ruth¡¯s career home run record. Aaron finished with 755 homers, which stood as the all-time record until Barry Bonds broke it in 2007.

Ernie Banks
Long before he was Mr. Cub, Banks was discovered by future Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell while playing for a barnstorming team, and he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, one of the Negro Leagues' preeminent franchises, in 1950. His tenure with the Monarchs didn¡¯t last long, however, because he was drafted into the United States Army and served during the Korean War. The Cubs purchased Banks¡¯ contract late in the 1953 season and immediately added him to their roster, making him the first Black player in franchise history. He spent 19 years with the club, hitting 512 home runs and winning two National League MVP Awards.

Roy Campanella
Campanella spent only 10 seasons with the Dodgers before a car accident cut short his career in 1958, but he managed to make quite an impact in that time. In addition to his eight All-Star selections and three NL MVP Awards, Campanella helped Brooklyn win the first World Series title in franchise history in 1955. Prior to joining the Dodgers, Campanella was a star in the Negro Leagues, debuting with the Washington (later Baltimore) Elite Giants as a 15-year-old in 1937.

Larry Doby
Less than three months after Jackie Robinson smashed baseball¡¯s color line when he debuted for the Dodgers on April 15, 1947, Doby became the American League¡¯s first Black player when he broke in with Cleveland. Doby¡¯s MLB debut came after a 1942-47 stint with the Negro National League¡¯s Newark Eagles, which was interrupted when he served for the U.S. Navy in World War II. Doby would spend 13 years in the AL, hitting .283/.386/.490 with 253 home runs.

Elston Howard
Howard played three seasons for the Monarchs and was a teammate of Banks before the Yankees purchased his contract in 1950. Military service delayed his MLB debut until 1955, but Howard soon became a key cog for New York, making 12 All-Star teams, winning four World Series titles and taking home the 1963 AL MVP Award.

Sam Jones
Known as ¡°Toothpick,¡± because he was often chewing on one, Jones started his career in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Oakland Larks and the Cleveland Buckeyes before breaking into the AL with the 1951 Indians. Jones, a hard-throwing, 6-foot-4 righty with a sweeping curveball, was effectively wild, leading the league in strikeouts three times and walks four times. With the Cubs in 1955, he became the first Black pitcher to throw a no-hitter, and five years later, he finished second in the NL Cy Young Award vote with the Giants.

Willie Mays
Mays joined the Birmingham Black Barons in his home state of Alabama as a 17-year-old in 1948 and helped them reach the Negro World Series, where they lost to the Homestead Grays. Three years later, he was patrolling center field for the New York Giants, and after putting his career on hold briefly to serve in the Korean War, Mays returned in 1954 to win the NL MVP Award. This began a streak of 20 straight All-Star seasons, during which the Say Hey Kid cemented himself as one of the greatest players in MLB history and an American sports icon.

Minnie Mi?oso
A native of the Matanzas Province in Cuba, Mi?oso played for the New York Cubans from 1946-48 before joining Cleveland and becoming the first Black Cuban player in the AL or NL. Following a short stint in Cleveland, Mi?oso was traded to the White Sox, where he became one of the most popular players in franchise history. From 1951-61, Mi?oso dazzled with his multidimensional skill set, hitting .305 with 179 homers and 205 steals and winning three Gold Glove Awards for good measure. Mi?oso continued his career in Mexico into his 40s, then re-emerged to play for the White Sox at age 50 in 1976 and 54 in ¡¯80. In a long-overdue honor, the Hall of Fame's Golden Days Era Committee voted Mi?oso into Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2022.

Don Newcombe
After two years in the Negro Leagues with the Newark Eagles, Newcombe landed with the Dodgers and pitched in their Minor League system until 1949, when he made his MLB debut. While he missed two full seasons due to his military service, Newcombe made four All-Star teams from 1949-56, going 112-48 with a 3.41 ERA. In 1956, he won the inaugural Cy Young Award -- then presented to just one MLB pitcher -- as well as the NL MVP Award.

Jackie Robinson
Although Robinson¡¯s momentous debut came when he was already 28 years old, he didn¡¯t have a lengthy career in the Negro Leagues before that. In fact, Robinson only played one year in the Negro Leagues, for the Monarchs in 1945, after serving in the U.S. Army from 1942-44. Following a season in the Minors in Montreal, Robinson joined the Dodgers and became a perennial All-Star, earning NL MVP honors in 1949 and helping Brooklyn win six pennants and a World Series crown.

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com