Josh Gibson 37th in Plate Appearances in Negro Leagues. And NOT highest season BA!

Major League Baseball (MLB) ...

What to know about Negro Leagues stats entering MLB Record May 29, 2024
Anthony Castrovince

Major League Baseball’s embrace of the Negro Leagues is now recognized in the record book, resulting in new-look leaderboards fronted in several prominent places by Hall of Famer Josh Gibson and an overdue appreciation of many other Black stars.

Following the 2020 announcement that seven different Negro Leagues from 1920-1948 would be recognized as Major Leagues, MLB announced Wednesday that it has followed the recommendations of the independent Negro League Statistical Review Committee in absorbing the available Negro Leagues numbers into the official historical record...

Gibson, the legendary catcher and power hitter who played for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, is now MLB’s all-time leader in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS and holds the all-time single-season records in each of those categories.

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https://stathead.com/tiny/WrWoG

For combined seasons, from 1920 to 1948, Playing in the NAL or NNL or NN2 or EWL or NSL or ANL or ECL, in the regular season, requiring Plate Appearances >= 2500, sorted by descending Plate Appearances.

Rk	Player	PA	From	To	Age	G	AB	R	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB
1	Cool Papa Bell	5361	1922	1946	19-43	1202	4767	1152	1548	1157	262	72	57	596	.325	.394	.446	.840	126	2125
2	Willie Wells	4471	1924	1948	19-43	1039	3920	932	1292	830	257	65	140	873	.330	.407	.535	.943	152	2099
3	Turkey Stearnes	4279	1923	1940	22-39	993	3807	917	1326	795	231	113	187	1009	.348	.417	.616	1.032	177	2344
4	Newt Allen	4016	1923	1947	22-46	951	3661	612	1053	827	153	52	21	476	.288	.346	.375	.721	99	1373
5	Oscar Charleston	3927	1920	1941	23-44	931	3354	861	1221	752	243	80	146	861	.364	.448	.615	1.063	184	2062
6	Dewey Creacy	3922	1924	1938	24-38	957	3509	600	1022	731	146	60	85	632	.291	.357	.440	.796	112	1543
7	Mule Suttles	3623	1924	1944	23-43	909	3220	720	1093	625	213	75	180	883	.339	.410	.620	1.030	172	1996
8	Jud Wilson	3563	1923	1945	27-49	911	3082	625	1080	750	203	50	77	728	.350	.434	.524	.958	154	1614
9	Crush Holloway	3510	1921	1939	24-42	822	3222	544	887	684	119	53	31	404	.275	.327	.374	.700	86	1205
10	Biz Mackey	3442	1920	1947	22-49	900	3081	497	1011	735	167	57	52	604	.328	.390	.470	.860	131	1448
11	Branch Russell	3297	1922	1932	26-36	767	2883	633	890	626	134	73	57	492	.309	.391	.465	.856	128	1341
12	Jerry Benjamin	3294	1932	1948	22-38	733	2920	610	867	689	107	43	28	347	.297	.363	.392	.754	105	1144
13	Frank Duncan	3139	1920	1945	19-44	863	2691	410	693	537	116	26	14	340	.258	.342	.336	.677	84	903
14	Hurley McNair	3120	1920	1937	31-48	728	2754	557	890	647	129	70	44	511	.323	.395	.469	.864	135	1291
15	Frank Warfield	3080	1920	1932	21-33	711	2715	545	751	591	114	35	11	299	.277	.349	.357	.706	92	968
Rk	Player	PA	From	To	Age	G	AB	R	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB
16	Wilson Redus	3070	1924	1940	19-35	773	2772	478	844	583	131	44	86	510	.304	.368	.477	.845	126	1321
17	Wade Johnston	2909	1922	1933	24-35	666	2604	487	790	582	110	55	43	371	.303	.373	.437	.810	117	1139
18	Judy Johnson	2884	1923	1936	23-36	709	2663	467	809	592	152	40	25	457	.304	.350	.419	.769	104	1116
19	Bill Riggins	2877	1920	1929	20-29	677	2561	479	750	549	119	41	41	403	.293	.358	.419	.777	108	1074
20	Clint Thomas	2837	1921	1938	24-41	695	2550	475	785	528	139	62	56	499	.308	.369	.477	.846	125	1216
21	Jim West	2792	1930	1948	25-43	695	2489	379	709	527	108	40	34	397	.285	.354	.401	.756	105	999
22	Jelly Gardner	2787	1920	1931	24-35	670	2402	457	678	584	73	18	3	225	.282	.373	.331	.704	91	796
23	John Henry Russell	2748	1924	1934	26-36	690	2531	396	704	538	97	41	28	336	.278	.331	.382	.713	91	967
24	Connie Day	2736	1920	1932	22-34	692	2468	313	579	452	84	29	14	280	.235	.293	.309	.602	64	763
25	Vic Harris	2728	1922	1945	17-40	645	2434	481	738	543	117	47	31	391	.303	.370	.428	.798	112	1042
26	Sam Bankhead	2715	1932	1948	21-37	632	2389	413	681	537	93	34	17	328	.285	.355	.374	.729	98	893
27	George Carr	2685	1920	1934	25-39	651	2402	463	757	528	135	38	56	438	.315	.379	.473	.852	131	1136
28	Buck Leonard	2614	1935	1948	27-40	604	2163	549	748	457	144	50	97	548	.346	.453	.593	1.046	180	1283
29	George Scales	2613	1921	1946	20-45	683	2178	444	697	444	158	31	64	499	.320	.424	.509	.933	147	1109
30	Cristóbal Torriente	2613	1920	1932	26-38	646	2235	471	759	511	140	53	55	532	.340	.427	.523	.951	158	1170
Rk	Player	PA	From	To	Age	G	AB	R	H	1B	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB
31	Dave Malarcher	2603	1920	1934	25-39	635	2248	406	601	510	71	12	8	245	.267	.360	.320	.680	86	720
32	Ben Taylor	2600	1920	1929	31-40	627	2329	378	786	588	135	37	26	449	.337	.398	.461	.858	133	1073
33	Jim Brown	2551	1920	1937	28-45	700	2294	368	631	471	107	36	17	365	.275	.340	.375	.715	93	861
34	Sandy Thompson	2542	1923	1932	28-37	639	2343	346	714	589	96	22	7	300	.305	.356	.373	.730	97	875
35	Henry Kimbro	2530	1937	1948	25-36	559	2172	479	651	467	106	48	30	261	.300	.394	.434	.828	127	943
36	Chaney White	2528	1923	1936	29-42	598	2284	473	734	567	100	41	26	376	.321	.384	.435	.820	116	994
37	Josh Gibson	2526	1930	1946	18-34	602	2168	612	808	449	135	58	166	733	.373	.458	.718	1.176	214	1557

Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead.
Generated 5/29/2024.

Josh Gibson is last. Gibson spent 1940 and 1941 playing in the Mexican League, which is not included by Major League Baseball (MLB). However, even if we double Gibson's highest Plate Appearances (PA) in a season (302) that only brings him to 3,128 (#14).

Let's sort these 37 Negro Leagues players on the two stats that Gibson is now recognized by MLB as the all time leader: Batting Average and Slugging average (it's in the form of an average despite people on calling it percent). Both stats are based on At Bats (AB), not PA.

Batting Average:

Rk	Player	BA	PA	From	To	Age	G	PA	AB
1	Josh Gibson	.373	2526	1930	1946	18-34	602	2526	2168
2	Oscar Charleston	.364	3927	1920	1941	23-44	931	3927	3354
3	Jud Wilson	.350	3563	1923	1945	27-49	911	3563	3082

Oscar Charleston is only two point behind Ty Cobb, the players who has been recognized as having the highest MLB BA since he retired after the 1928 season, 96 years ago. Charleston has 55% more At Bats than Gibson. Cobb has 11,440 AB, 5th most in MLB history.

Part of the reason for the discrepancies is that Negro League teams played only about 69 regular season games. MLB teams played 154 games from 1903-1960, then 162 starting in the American League in 1961, followed by the National League in 1962. Another reason is that Negro League is incomplete. AL and NL data is complete since 1950 and the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR) continues to add and correct going further back in time.

A few years ago SABR researchers reduced Cobb's BA from .367 to its current .366 when correcting minor errors in the official data.

Slugging:

Rk	Player	SLG	PA	From	To	Age	G	PA	AB	R
1	Josh Gibson	.718	2526	1930	1946	18-34	602	2526	2168	612
2	Mule Suttles	.620	3623	1924	1944	23-43	909	3623	3220	720
3	Turkey Stearnes	.616	4279	1923	1940	22-39	993	4279	3807	917
4	Oscar Charleston	.615	3927	1920	1941	23-44	931	3927	3354	861
5	Buck Leonard	.593	2614	1935	1948	27-40	604	2614	2163	549
6	Willie Wells	.535	4471	1924	1948	19-43	1039	4471	3920	932
7	Jud Wilson	.524	3563	1923	1945	27-49	911	3563	3082	625
8	Cristóbal Torriente	.523	2613	1920	1932	26-38	646	2613	2235	471
9	George Scales	.509	2613	1921	1946	20-45	683	2613	2178	444
10	Clint Thomas	.477	2837	1921	1938	24-41	695	2837	2550	475
11	Wilson Redus	.477	3070	1924	1940	19-35	773	3070	2772	478

Gibson has a big lead but again with far fewer AB than #2 Mule Suttles.

Gibson's highest BA and SLG came in 1943 

I just found something that impacts the MLB narrative about Gibson also having the season record for BA.

Gibson's highest BA is in 1943 when he had his highest AB and PA: .466.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gibsojo99.shtml

But it's not black ink. If someone in NN2 had a higher BA in 1943, shouldn't that player be recognized?

Gibson's top ten in BA:

Batting Average

1933 NN2  .395 (2nd)

1935 NN2  .369 (5th)

1936 NN2  .389 (1st)

1937 NN2  .417 (1st)

1938 NN2  .370 (3rd)

1939 NN2  .402 (1st)

1942 NN2  .327 (5th)

1943 NN2  .466 (2nd)

1944 NN2  .335 (9th)

1945 NN2  .357 (4th)

1946 NN2  .318 (9th)

1943: .466 (2nd).

What the heck? But wait:

1943 Negro National League II Batting Leaders

Batting Average

1.	Vargas • NYC	.471
2.	Gibson • HG	.466
3.	Benjamin • HG	.372
4.	Coimbre • NYC	.360
5.	Harris • HG	.358
6.	Bell • HG	.355
7.	Easterling • HG	.352
8.	Benson • PS	.337
9.	Leonard • HG	.331
10.	Davis • NE	.326

Tetelo Vargas had only 121 AB. Maybe that was too few for MLB. Ironic since Gibson had only 2,168 for his career compared to 11,440 for Cobb. But:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/batting_avg_season.shtml

Rank	Player (age that year)	Batting Average	Year	PA	Bats
1.	Tetelo Vargas (37)	.4711	1943	136	R
2.	Josh Gibson+ (31)	.4659	1943	302	R
3.	Lyman Bostock (23)	.4658	1941	84	L

Oh, what a tangled web.

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That's enough. This whole thing is nonsense and now it may not even be accurate nonsense.

Maybe MLB will move the All Star game again.