Which Current MLB Team Is Closest To A Negro Leagues Squad?
We love comparisons in baseball.
When you try to compare current players and clubs to their counterparts in Negro Leagues history it’s difficult – but I’m going to try.
There are obvious answers just by counting the number of African-American players on a team. That’s too easy. Those of you who read this blog are more intelligent than that and also know that it wasn’t just color but also style of play, excitement and the passion of fans which set the Negro Leagues apart.
So here we go…
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Buccos encompass everything that defined a great Negro Leagues team. They have speed, power, a daring style of play which is among the most entertaining in all of baseball. A superstar in Andrew McCutchen, a budding star in Starling Marte and a group of young players led by Gregory Polanco.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Back in the day – musicians, singers, actors and writers flocked to Negro Leagues games. In Chavez Ravine you can see a who’s who each home game at Dodgers Stadium. It doesn’t hurt when skipper Don Mattingly pencils in Matt Kemp, Yusiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez each night.
Detroit Tigers
Much like the Pirates, The Tigers have a Negro Leagues look. The vast majority of the post Negro Leagues stories center around position players – except for Satchel Paige of course. Pitching is where Detroit might have the best 1-2-3 in all of baseball. The common denominator – aside from extreme talent and Cy Young Awards between Max Scherzer, David Price and Justin Verlander is the fact that they are all innings eaters. Negro Leagues staffs consisted of pitchers who gobbled up innings and pitched frequently. A multi-talented outfield and professional hitters like Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez completes the resume.
Texas Rangers
Ok – stop scratching your head and hear me out. First of all- the season started with an African-American manager (Ron Washington). With Washington resigning and Bo Porter in Houston being fired – only Lloyd McClendon in Seattle is left piloting a club. Another subject for another day. Here’s the other element that puts the Rangers in this conversation – at the beginning of the season when teams broke from Spring Training, Texas had the most foreign born players on their roster in Major League Baseball (15 representing nine different countries). Currently in the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City you can view “Beisbol” which chronicles the rich history of Latin American players in the Negro leagues.Texas has players from Cuba, Curacao, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Oakland A’s
The “colorful” on this team doesn’t come from skin color as there’s not much more on the roster other than Coco Crisp. The color comes from uniforms, fans and players personalities. Think about it – aren’t those all traits of Negro Leagues teams? The white spikes, the beards – making you remember those hairy yet wildly talented teams of the 70’s, always doing more with less and while they may not be the largest in regard to numbers – Oakland fans like the group in right field and section 149 exude the same kind of passion found in Negro leagues ballparks.
I want to hear who you think closely compares. Reply here or hit me @daveabarr or Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick (@nlbmprez) on Twitter.
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