Many players shine in Major League Baseball, and African-American players haven’t been left behind. Even though they struggled to break into the league at some point, it has been decades of dominance from various athletes to take the sport to another level. Some even become the center of MLB odds from top sportsbooks.
To celebrate these budding stars and the strides they’ve made throughout the sport’s history, we take a look at some of the best Afro-Americans to enter the diamond. They have massive impacts on the sport, and even top sportsbooks like BetUS would put them as favorites today. This list covers every part of MLB history and how these players have ensured that they promote the culture while achieving legendary status.
Hank Aaron
Hank, The Hammer Aaron, is one of the greatest players in the sport and remains one of the most accomplished. He is a 25-time All-Star player and has had many memorable moments on the plate. Aaron holds the all-time records for extra-base hits, runs batted in, and total bases. Despite this record, his most popular accomplishment was passing Babe Ruth on the Baseball’s all-time career home runs records.
Cool Papa Bell
Following Hanks Aaron on our list is James Thomas Bell, popularly called Cool Papa. He was a prominent speedster in the Negro League, and many argue that he is the fastest player in the sport’s history. He most times stole both 2nd and 3rd base after a single. It happened so often in his three seasons of getting the batting titles in 1928, ‘30, and ‘31. He spent a large part of his career playing with St. Louis Stars.
Barry Bonds
Arguably the greatest all-rounder of all time, Barry Bonds won seven MVPs in his 22-year-long run in MLB. He played for San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates. Bonds got 17 various MLB all-time records. These records include the most career home runs, intentional walks in a single season, and home runs in a season. In addition to that, he got 8 Gold Glove awards and remained the only player with 500 home runs while stealing 500 bases.
Lou Brock
The St. Louis Cardinals Base Burglar, Lou Brock, was pivotal to their World Series Championship in 1964 and ‘67. Brock had an exciting career where he had a .391 career World Series batting average, the highest for any player with over 20 games of Series play. He gathered over 3000 hits throughout his career while being in the front seat for the most stolen bases for 8 seasons.
Oscar Charleston
Born in Indianapolis, Oscar Charleston was one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the Negro League. He had an exciting career, even though it was outside the MLB. His career happened throughout the various black and Cuban baseball leagues from 1919 to 1941. He was a sensation throughout his entire career, and he had some incredible records over the years.
Bob Gibson
In 1968, Bob Gibson became a two-time CY Young and NL MVP Award winner. He had one of the most intense and intimidating careers in the sport’s history. He has many dominant pitching performances by any player in the sport. This includes his record of 1.12 ERA in ‘68, three complete-game wins in the 1967 Series, and a WS record of 17 strikeouts in ‘68.
Ken Griffey Jr.
We don’t think there has been any more enjoyable character to watch on the pick than Griffey, both past and present. He is one of the most marketable and popular superstars of the ‘90s. Ken Griffey led the league in home runs four different times and hit up to 630 overall in his career. In 2016, he got up to 99.3% votes in 2016, the highest for any positional player in history. A record like this is perfect for a favorite’s odds at any top sportsbook like BetUs.
Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson is Baseball’s greatest leadoff hitter, and he owned a personality as big as his overall impact on the pitch. He led the league in stolen bases with a record 12 times, and as a result, he is the holder of the most 100-steal seasons record with three. In addition, he reached 80+ in three other seasons. He has a career total of 1,406 steals.
Derek Jeter
After spending 20 years with the Yankees, Derek Jeter had an incredible career where he became one of the most clutch and dependable players in the sport’s history. Jeter won five different World Series titles with the New York Yankees, holding numerous all-time records in the league.
Willie Mays
Willie Mays, the 24-time All-Star with 660 home runs, is arguably the finest all-around player in the league’s history. He has 8 concurrent 100 RBI seasons, earning him 12 Gold Glove awards, the most for any outfield player. His over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 Series remains one of the best players in MLB history.
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