Draft - Round One

I did some extra reading and found that a couple of Negro League players I included previously probably would not have been in their prime in 1924. John Donaldson developed arm trouble by the early 20's and was likely done. At the same time, Newt Joseph had not quite reached his peak. So, I redrafted and restructured the site a bit.

1. Boston Braves

Biz Mackey - An incredibly talented catcher whose defensive skills were among the best in the history of black baseball. He could snap a throw to second from a squatting position and get it there more quickly and accurately than most catchers could standing up. His Strat card was made with an OPS(on base percentage plus slugging percentage) of 0.948 so he will be a threat at the plate as well.[1]



2. Philadelphia Phillies

Charles Blackwell - An excellent contact hitter who seldom struck, and also had good power. He was able to hit well in spite of a drinking problem that continued throughout his career. His great speed benefitted him on the bases as well as in the outfield.[1]



3. Philadelphia A's

Nip Winters - Winters was a tall, left handed curveball pitcher with good speed. He was sometimes wild, especially early in his career, but was the ace on the pitching staff for three pennant winning black teams. He was a very respectable hitter as well who was often called on to pinch hit for his team on the days he was not pitching.[1]



4. Chicago White Sox

Oscar "Heavy" Johnson - This big slugger had a playing weight of 250 pounds which he used to generate a lot of power at the plate. It was definitely his bat that kept him in the lineup as he was an unpolished outfielder. It was generally believed by most people that he could hit the ball out of any ballpark.[1]



5. Boston Red Sox

Oscar Charleston - An intense, focused, and intelligent man, Charleston was among the most renowned players of his time, a tremendous power and contact hitter and one of the finest defensive center fielders of all-time. His career batting average was .348, and he regularly finished among league leaders in both home runs and stolen bases. He was also known for his combative nature, getting into many brawls, including at least one memorable fight with an array of Cuban soldiers.[2]





6. Cleveland Indians

Bullet Joe Rogan - Rogan was an outstanding pitcher with a tremendous fastball, a fine curve and good control. He was a star for the Kansas City Monarchs for more than 20 years. He also threw a forkball, palmball, and spitter using a using a now windup delivery and a sidearm motion. When not pitching, Rogan played in the outfield in order to keep his bat in the lineup hitting cleanup.[1]



7. St. Louis Browns

Dick Lundy - Lundy is generally considered one of the three greatest shortstops in black baseball history along with Pop Lloyd and Willie Wells. He was a great fielder with a wide range and very strong arm that allowed him to play deeper than most shortstops. He was also a switch hitter who batted for both average and power.[1]



8. St. Louis Cardinals

Dave Brown - Brown was a left-handed pitcher and was considered one of the better pitchers in negro league history. He had a good curveball and excellent control. He was also a good fielder and had outstanding speed, but was a weak hitter.[2]




Sources

[1] James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.

[2] www.wikipedia.com