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Monte Irvin
#?? | Center fielder | Negro Leagues
Monford Irvin
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Monte Irvin Monford Irvin |
Many Negro League owners felt Irvin was the best-qualified candidate to break the major league color line, but Irvin was drafted in 1942 and spent the next three years in the army.
Upon his return from the service, Irvin was tentatively contacted by the Dodgers' Branch Rickey, but felt he needed to play himself back into shape; Rickey went with Jackie Robinson instead.
He was the most lethal hitter on the terrific Newark Eagles squad that claimed the 1946 Negro League World Series - the team included Mule Suttles, Willie Wells and Biz Mackey. The quiet, dignified gentleman then crossed the color line in 1949, and contributed to the Giants pennants in 1951 and 1954. In 1951 Irvin emerged as a star, hitting .312 with 24 HR, leading the National League with 121 RBI, and finishing third in MVP balloting. He hit .458 in the 1951 World Series and stole home off Yankee pitcher Allie Reynolds in the second game.
Irvin started his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues at the early age of 17. He quickly developed into a power-hitting, smooth fielding, base stealing triple threat. Irvin earned MVP honors in the 1945-46 Puerto Rican Winter League, then led the Negro National League in RBI and hit .389, taking the Eagles to a victory over the Kansas City Monarchs in the 1946 Negro World Series. Irvin hit .462, slammed three HR, and scored the winning run in the seventh game.
He was ready for the majors, but Rickey did not want to pay Eagles owner Effa Manley for the rights to Irvin's contract. Irvin remained with the Eagles and proceeded to lead the NNL in HR and RBI.
He earned 16 letters and all-state honors in four sports at East Orange (NJ) High School. His outstanding athletic career was almost prematurely ended in 1938 when he scratched his hand in a basketball game; the resulting infection kept him near death for seven weeks. He recovered and returned to the Orange Triangles, a semi-pro team that he had joined in 1932. He began playing for the Newark Eagles on weekends under the name "Jimmy Nelson" to protect his amateur standing, a practice he continued while attending Lincoln University.
During his career as a Negro League player, he was a five time selection to the All-Star team. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Committee on Negro Baseball Leagues in 1973, following Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Buck Leonard.
"He was the best all-around player I ever saw."
— Roy Campanella
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