Willie Mays: first black superstar in pro baseball, football or basketball.

The first black MVP:
NFL: Jim Brown 1957
NBA: Bill Russell 1957

Jimmy Brown, as he was known in his playing days, was the star fullback for the Cleveland Browns. Brown won the first two NFL MVP awards starting in his rookie season of 1957. Except for 1962 Brown led in rushing every year 1957-1965.

Bill Russell was the star center of the Boston Celtics for seasons 1956-1957 through 1968-1969. Russell won the third NBA MVP in his rookie season, following Bob Pettit and Bob Cousy. Russell was player-coach in his final three seasons.

The other day I ran a query for the home run leaders through 1962. I sent it to one of my brothers who was born that year. Here are the results:

Rk	Player	HR	AB	From	To	Age	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
1	Babe Ruth	714	8399	1914	1935	19-40	2504	10622	2174	2873	506	136	2214	2062		1330	43	113		2	123	117	.342	.474	.690	1.164	971/H83	BOS-NYY-BSN
2	Jimmie Foxx	534	8134	1925	1945	17-37	2317	9676	1751	2646	458	125	1922	1452		1311	13	71		69	87	73	.325	.428	.609	1.038	*35H2/7916	PHA-BOS-CHC-PHI
3	Ted Williams	521	7706	1939	1960	20-41	2292	9788	1798	2654	525	71	1839	2021	86	709	39	5	20	197	24	17	.344	.482	.634	1.116	*79H/1	BOS
4	Mel Ott	511	9456	1926	1947	17-38	2730	11348	1859	2876	488	72	1860	1708		896	64	109		82	89		.304	.414	.533	.947	*95H8/74	NYG
5	Lou Gehrig	493	8001	1923	1939	20-36	2164	9663	1888	2721	534	163	1995	1508		790	45	106		2	102	100	.340	.447	.632	1.080	*3/H976	NYY
6	Stan Musial	463	10635	1941	1962	20-41	2902	12339	1915	3544	715	175	1893	1564	118	653	51	35	48	240	76	31	.333	.419	.564	.983	3798H/1	STL
7	Mickey Mantle	404	5896	1951	1962	19-30	1675	7199	1340	1821	256	67	1152	1251	78	1214	11	13	30	61	133	29	.309	.429	.581	1.009	*89/H6745	NYY
8	Eddie Mathews	399	6002	1952	1962	20-30	1634	7124	1138	1690	248	61	1082	1031	62	976	18	31	43	83	59	28	.282	.386	.543	.929	*5/H73	BSN-MLN
9	Duke Snider	389	6640	1947	1962	20-35	1923	7633	1199	1995	343	82	1271	893	91	1123	20	52	28	162	99	49	.300	.384	.553	.936	*89H/7	BRO-LAD
10	Gil Hodges	370	7008	1943	1962	19-38	2061	8077	1103	1916	295	48	1271	940	31	1135	25	56	50	165	63	31	.273	.359	.488	.847	*3/H275984	BRO-LAD-NYM
11	Ralph Kiner	369	5205	1946	1955	23-32	1472	6256	971	1451	216	39	1015	1011	1	749	24	9	7	126	22	2	.279	.398	.548	.946	*7/83H	PIT-CHC-CLE
12	Willie Mays	368	5862	1951	1962	20-31	1534	6666	1143	1846	301	99	1076	725	106	667	24	1	51	137	240	74	.315	.390	.588	.978	*8/H	NYG-SFG
13	Joe DiMaggio	361	6821	1936	1951	21-36	1736	7673	1390	2214	389	131	1537	790		369	46	14		130	30	9	.325	.398	.579	.977	*8/79H3	NYY
14	Johnny Mize	359	6443	1936	1953	23-40	1883	7370	1118	2011	367	83	1337	856		524	52	20		99	28	1	.312	.397	.562	.959	*3H/9	STL-NYG-NYY
15	Yogi Berra	350	7399	1946	1962	21-37	2052	8186	1154	2105	315	49	1402	689	47	394	51	9	43	142	29	26	.284	.348	.482	.830	*2H79/35	NYY

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/6/2016.

I was pleased to see my favorite player, Mickey Mantle, who wore number 7 for the Yankees, was also number 7 on the list. Mantle had 34 more at bats and 36 more home runs than Willie Mays, who was 12th. Two other Yankees were on the list, both Italian: Joe DiMaggio, who wore number 5 and was 5th in home runs the year he retired, and Yogi Berra.

I then noticed that Mays was the only black player. And there were no players with a Spanish last name. It occurred to me that Mays was the first black superstar in any of the three U.S. team sports.

Jackie Robinson had been the first black baseball player in modern times and Robinson had been Rookie of the Year in 1947 and in 1949 led the National League (NL) in Batting Average (BA), which was a big deal back then, and been voted the first black MVP. But as good as he was, Robinson was not a superstar like Mays. In fact, if you compared them on the five traditional skills, Mays would sweep: hit, hit with power, run, field, throw.

Robinson made the NL All Star team each year 1949-1954 but he was 28 when he started and 35 in 1954, his last big season. He hit 19 home runs in 1951 and 1952, the most in any of his ten seasons. Robinson was benched for lack of hitting in game seven of the 1955 World Series, the only win by the Brooklyn Dodgers over the New York Yankees.

Mays was Rookie of the Year in 1951 at the age of 20. He played 34 games early in 1952 and hit four home runs, then was drafted into the Army and did not play major league ball again until 1954, age 23. That season Mays led the NL in 3B, BA, SLG, OPS, OPS+; he also hit 41 home runs, more than twice the two best seasons of Robinson. Mays was voted MVP and his New York Giants won their last World Series, this one over the Cleveland Indians who had won 111 games to the Yankees 103.

In 1955 Mays led in 3B, HR (51), SLG, OPS, OPS+, TB. In 1955 Dodger catcher Roy Campanella won his third MVP in five years.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Ernie Banks played his first full season in 1954, then hit 44 home runs in 1955 when Mays led the NL with 51. Banks was MVP in 1958 and 1959 with 47 and 45 home runs, the middle of four consecutive 40 home run seasons. But Mays had preceded Banks and was also leading the NL in stolen bases (SB) 1956 through 1959. Mays was better and earlier.

Hank Aaron played his first season in 1954. In 1956 he led the NL in Hits, 2B, BA. In 1957 Aaron led the NL in Runs, HR, RBI, TB and won his only MVP. In 1974 Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth in career home runs. As great as Aaron was, Mays was better ... and earlier.

Mays hit 52 home runs in 1965 and won his second MVP; he also led in SLG, OPS, OPS+, TB. Mays played through 1973 and finished with 660 home runs, 54 behind Ruth. It's not unreasonable to suggest that Mays might have hit those 54 home runs had he played full seasons in 1952 and 1953 when he was in the Army. Would Mays be remembered very differently had he passed Ruth before Aaron?

Willie Mays was alone in 1954 as the first black superstar, with no rivals in sight. By 1956 Mays had been eclipsed in his home town by Mickey Mantle who exceeded Mays's 51 homers in 1955 by one, Mays's BA in 1954 by 8 and also led in RBI, something Mays never did, for the triple crown, not only of the American League but of both leagues. Mantle was voted AL MVP in 1956 and 1957.

The Giants, despite having the great Willie Mays descended in the standings and had the lowest NL attendance in 1956 and 1957. Following the 1957 season both the Giants and Dodgers left New York and went to California. In San Francisco Mays was probably not appreciated as much as he should have been. He went through a "slump" and local fans became infatuated with Orlando Cepeda in 1958 and Willie McCovey in 1959. The New York transplant was not home grown.

It must have been difficult for Mays being the first black superstar and then also being uprooted and overlooked a bit until he reasserted himself in 1962 leading the NL with 49 home runs and 382 TB; Mays also had 141 RBI, his career high. He should have been voted MVP but that went to Dodger shortstop Maury Wills, who broke Ty Cobb's SB record of 96 with 104 SB.

Oh, here are the top 15 in home runs today:

Rk	Player	HR	AB	From	To	Age	G	PA	R	H	2B	3B	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Pos	Tm
1	Barry Bonds	762	9847	1986	2007	21-42	2986	12606	2227	2935	601	77	1996	2558	688	1539	106	4	91	165	514	141	.298	.444	.607	1.051	*78H/D9	PIT-SFG
2	Hank Aaron	755	12364	1954	1976	20-42	3298	13941	2174	3771	624	98	2297	1402	293	1383	32	21	121	328	240	73	.305	.374	.555	.928	*9783DH/45	MLN-ATL-MIL
3	Babe Ruth	714	8399	1914	1935	19-40	2504	10622	2174	2873	506	136	2214	2062		1330	43	113		2	123	117	.342	.474	.690	1.164	971/H83	BOS-NYY-BSN
4	Alex Rodriguez	696	10566	1994	2016	18-40	2784	12207	2021	3115	548	31	2086	1338	97	2287	176	16	111	261	329	76	.295	.380	.550	.930	65D/H3	SEA-TEX-NYY
5	Willie Mays	660	10881	1951	1973	20-42	2992	12496	2062	3283	523	140	1903	1464	192	1526	44	13	91	251	338	103	.302	.384	.557	.941	*8H/39675	NYG-SFG-NYM
6	Ken Griffey	630	9801	1989	2010	19-40	2671	11304	1662	2781	524	38	1836	1312	246	1779	81	8	102	199	184	69	.284	.370	.538	.907	*89DH/73	SEA-CIN-CHW
7	Jim Thome	612	8422	1991	2012	20-41	2543	10313	1583	2328	451	26	1699	1747	173	2548	69	1	74	165	19	20	.276	.402	.554	.956	3D5H	CLE-PHI-CHW-LAD-MIN-BAL
8	Sammy Sosa	609	8813	1989	2007	20-38	2354	9896	1475	2408	379	45	1667	929	154	2306	59	17	78	202	234	107	.273	.344	.534	.878	*98D/H7	TEX-CHW-CHC-BAL
9	Albert Pujols	589	9062	2001	2016	21-36	2407	10472	1661	2805	599	16	1808	1210	300	1043	100	1	99	333	107	41	.310	.393	.574	.967	*3D75/9H64	STL-LAA
10	Frank Robinson	586	10006	1956	1976	20-40	2808	11742	1829	2943	528	72	1812	1420	218	1532	198	17	102	270	204	77	.294	.389	.537	.926	97D3H8/5	CIN-BAL-LAD-CAL-CLE
11	Mark McGwire	583	6187	1986	2001	22-37	1874	7660	1167	1626	252	6	1414	1317	150	1596	75	3	78	147	12	8	.263	.394	.588	.982	*3/HD59	OAK-STL
12	Harmon Killebrew	573	8147	1954	1975	18-39	2435	9833	1283	2086	290	24	1584	1559	160	1699	48	0	77	243	19	18	.256	.376	.509	.884	357DH/49	WSH-MIN-KCR
13	Rafael Palmeiro	569	10472	1986	2005	21-40	2831	12046	1663	3020	585	38	1835	1353	172	1348	87	15	119	232	97	40	.288	.371	.515	.885	*3D7/H98	CHC-TEX-BAL
14	Reggie Jackson	563	9864	1967	1987	21-41	2820	11418	1551	2584	463	49	1702	1375	164	2597	96	13	68	183	228	115	.262	.356	.490	.846	*9D8H/7	KCA-OAK-BAL-NYY-CAL
15	Manny Ramirez	555	8244	1993	2011	21-39	2302	9774	1544	2574	547	20	1831	1329	216	1813	109	2	90	243	38	33	.312	.411	.585	.996	79D/H	CLE-BOS-LAD-CHW-TBR

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/6/2016.

Mantle dropped from 7 to 17 with 536, although in only 8,102 AB, fewer than any except McGwire. Among the top 15 the only players who are neither black nor have a Spanish last name are Ruth, Thome, McGwire and Killebrew.