Minor league stars can fail in MLB. Consider that in evaluating Negro League players. Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Let's look at two PCL stars: Gene Lillard and Ox Eckhardt. Their ages in 1935 were 21 and 33 respectively.
Lillard played 1932-1942 (break, probably for military service in WWII), 1946-1954 (age 40). Including the 56 PCL home runs he hit in 1935, Lillard hit 345 minor league home runs in 6,900 AB with a .303 BA...
Lillard hit zero home runs in 44 MLB AB.
Ox Eckhardt led the PCL in BA in 1932, 1933 (.414 in 760 AB), 1935; second in 1934 at .378 in 707 AB; third in 1931 at .369 in 745 AB. Eckhardt played 1926, 1928-1940 (age 38)...
Neither Lillard or Eckhardt would be considered MLB caliber players, certainly not Hall of Famers. The difference between them and the Negro League players in those years is that Lillard or Eckhardt had the opportunity. If they hadn't tried and failed in MLB, we might assume that Lillard or Eckhardt would have performed at their same high minor league level in MLB. That would be a mistake.
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Benny Kauff
Position: Centerfielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Left
5-8, 157lb (173cm, 71kg)
Born: January 5, 1890 in Pomeroy, OH us
Died: November 17, 1961
Benny Kauff played his first two full seasons in the Federal League, where he was a star. In both seasons Kauff led the FL in BA, OBP, OPS. In year two Kauff also led in SLG and OPS+ (180).
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | TB | GDP | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | 22 | NYY | AL | 5 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .273 | .429 | .273 | .701 | 97 | 3 | |
| 1914 | 24 | IND | FL | 154 | 669 | 571 | 120 | 211 | 44 | 13 | 8 | 95 | 75 | 72 | 55 | .370 | .447 | .534 | .981 | 165 | 305 | ||
| 1915 | 25 | BTT | FL | 136 | 581 | 483 | 92 | 165 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 83 | 55 | 85 | 50 | .342 | .446 | .509 | .955 | 180 | 246 | ||
| 1916 | 26 | NYG | NL | 154 | 632 | 552 | 71 | 146 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 74 | 40 | 26 | 68 | 65 | .264 | .348 | .408 | .756 | 138 | 225 | |
| 1917 | 27 | NYG | NL | 153 | 644 | 559 | 89 | 172 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 69 | 30 | 59 | 54 | .308 | .379 | .388 | .767 | 138 | 217 | ||
| 1918 | 28 | NYG | NL | 67 | 294 | 270 | 41 | 85 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 39 | 9 | 16 | 30 | .315 | .355 | .437 | .792 | 142 | 118 | ||
| 1919 | 29 | NYG | NL | 135 | 544 | 491 | 73 | 136 | 27 | 7 | 10 | 67 | 21 | 39 | 45 | .277 | .334 | .422 | .756 | 126 | 207 | ||
| 1920 | 30 | NYG | NL | 55 | 188 | 157 | 31 | 43 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 25 | 14 | .274 | .380 | .446 | .826 | 137 | 70 | |
| 8 Yr | 8 Yr | 8 Yr | 8 Yr | 859 | 3566 | 3094 | 521 | 961 | 169 | 57 | 49 | 455 | 234 | 33 | 367 | 313 | .311 | .389 | .450 | .838 | 149 | 1391 |
Kauff then played five more seasons for the New York Giants in the National League, where he was very good but not great as he had been in the FL.
OPS+:
FL: 172
NL: 136
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Benny-Kauff/
Dubbed “The Ty Cobb of the Federal League,” Kauff was the most heralded young player of his generation, a five-tool star whose unique combination of speed and power defied his stocky 5’8″ frame. Though he performed well in the National League’s faster company, Kauff never did match the high expectations he and others had set for him, and his career ended prematurely in 1921 with his controversial banishment from the game...
“Kauff is the premier slugger, premier fielder, premier base stealer and best all-round player in the league,” Sporting Life gushed. “He is being called a second Ty Cobb, yet there are many followers of the Federal clubs who say that within next season Kauff will play rings around the Georgia Peach.” According to sportswriter Frank Graham, Kauff loved the publicity “and cheerfully agreed that he was at least Ty’s equal, if not his superior, for he was not bound by false modesty.” ...
Judged against the hype, Kauff was a huge disappointment in his first year in New York...
He managed to steal some headlines in the 1917 World’s Series when his two home runs propelled New York to a Game Four victory.
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Note: Kauff was banned by Commissioner Landis for reasons of "character and reputation". You can read about it in the SABR bio but it is not pertinent to his performance on the field.
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Baseball Reference shows a hint of sanity on Negro Leagues data added to MLB: Josh Gibson does not qualify for BA, SLG, OPS. Thursday, May 30, 2024
Josh Gibson 37th in Plate Appearances in Negro Leagues. And NOT highest season BA! Wednesday, May 29, 2024
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.
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Negro National League II Detailed Standings 1943
| Rk | Tm | W | L | Ties | GB | GBsum | R | RA | Rdiff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Homestead Grays | 53 | 14 | 1 | .791 | -- | 7.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | |
| 2 | New York Cubans | 19 | 14 | 1 | .576 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 6.2 | 4.1 | 2.0 |
| 3 | Harrisburg Stars | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 19.5 | 22.0 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 0.2 |
| 4 | Newark Eagles | 26 | 32 | 0 | .448 | 22.5 | 31.0 | 5.5 | 5.9 | -0.4 |
| 5 | Baltimore Elite Giants | 18 | 26 | 3 | .409 | 23.5 | 35.0 | 4.4 | 6.4 | -1.9 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Stars | 21 | 31 | 1 | .404 | 24.5 | 40.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 0.0 |
| 7 | New York Black Yankees | 4 | 24 | 2 | .143 | 29.5 | 70.0 | 4.2 | 9.0 | -4.8 |
Homestead Grays played 68 games but other teams played far fewer. Harrisburg played only 16.
Josh Gibson is credited with playing 69 games, one more than the team.
Grays SS Sam Bankhead is credited with leading the league with 71 games, three more than the team.
So there are two basic problems with evaluating Josh Gibson and jumping to conclusions:
The data, what little there is, is junk. And the issue of official scoring is not addressed.
You cannot assume that a player will perform at the major league level as well as he did in seperate and likely lower quality leagues.
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