While some former Negro League stars who eventually played in MLB have been recognized by baseball fans for decades, others are finally receiving the attention they deserve. But where would they rank if we leveled the playing field in terms of the all-time leaderboards?
MLB’s official addition of Negro League statistics into the record books prior to the 2024 season has sparked a great deal of discussion about these leagues, their players, and their legacies.
While names like Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Satchel Paige – former Negro League players who became MLB stars – have been recognized by baseball fans for decades, figures such as Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston and Jud Wilson are finally receiving the reverent attention they deserve.
It’s necessary to consider these performances the same way we view AL or NL feats because, by most accounts, the talent level of the pitchers they faced in the Negro Leagues was no worse than the pitchers of those leagues. Given the opportunity, most Negro League stars would’ve been stars in the AL or NL.
Nothing better demonstrates this than 10 of the first 14 NL MVPs being awarded to former Negro League players after the integration of professional baseball in 1947 with Jackie Robinson’s debut.
Many key baseball statistics, such as batting average, slugging percentage, and ERA have had their all-time career and single season leaderboards shaken up by the inclusion of Negro League statistics. Among other record changes, Josh Gibson is now the all-time leader in both single-season and career batting average; Mule Suttles, Norman “Turkey” Stearns and Oscar Charleston are in the top 10 in career slugging percentage; and Charlie “Chino” Smith’s OPS of 1.421 in 1929 is tied for third all time with Barry Bonds legendary 2004 season.
However, the leaderboards of some of the most frequently referenced cumulative stats, such as home runs and stolen bases, remain relatively unchanged. This is because Negro League seasons were shorter than those of the AL or NL, limiting the opportunity for players to accumulate high totals. To create a fair comparison, the leaderboards below have been adjusted to a 162-game season, putting Negro League players on the same “playing field” as AL and NL stars.
This adjustment was not limited to former Negro League players, as the top 10 AL and NL players in each statistical category also had their data scaled to a full 162 game season. For example, Babe Ruth’s legendary 60 home run season in 1927, achieved in 151 games, is adjusted to 64 home runs in this list, reflecting what would be projected in 162 games.
It’s crucial to note that smaller sample sizes naturally create more data variability, so the 162-game projections of shortened seasons occasionally show exceptionally high or low values. The length of the season in different Negro Leagues and during different time periods varied greatly, ranging from roughly 30 to 90 games – significantly less than a traditional AL or NL season.
As a result, the scaled all-time leaderboards below are imperfect, but they help to demonstrate how the best of the Negro Leagues compare to the best of the AL and NL. Most importantly, they show why the Negro Leagues are deserving of the long overdue attention that they are finally beginning to receive.
All data is from the modern era of baseball (1901-present) and is from Major League Baseball’s published all-time single-season statistical leaderboards. Negro leagues are abbreviated as follows: Negro National League (NNL), second Negro National League (NN2), Negro American League (NAL), Eastern Colored League (ECL), Negro Southern League (NSL).
(Note: Player totals are rounded to the nearest whole number, so some players appear to be tied when one is really ahead when including decimal points.)
Home Runs
1. 83 – Josh Gibson, 1937 Homestead Grays (20 HRs in 39 NN2 games)
Gibson is truly one of the greatest players the game of baseball has seen. While the small sample size of 39 games is small, this power-hitting season was far from unique for Gibson. He had multiple others when he managed to homer in at least a third of his games while frequently playing on fields with outfield fences further from home plate than most in the modern game.
2. 77 – Barry Bonds, 2001 San Francisco Giants (73 HRs in 153 games)
3. 73 – Mark McGwire, 1998 St. Louis Cardinals (70 HRs in 155 games)
4. 69 – Mule Suttles, 1936 Newark Eagles (12 HRs in 28 NN2 games)
5. 69 – Mark McGwire, 1999 St. Louis Cardinals (65 HRs in 153 games)
6. 67 – Sammy Sosa, 1998 Chicago Cubs (66 HRs in 159 games)
7. 65 – Sammy Sosa, 2001 Chicago Cubs (64 HRs in 160 games)
8. 64 – Babe Ruth, 1927 New York Yankees (60 HRs in 151 games)
9. 64 – Aaron Judge, 2022 New York Yankees (62 HRs in 157 games)
10. 63 – Sammy Sosa, 1999 Chicago Cubs (63 HRs in 162 games)
RBIs
1. 303 – Josh Gibson, 1937 Homestead Grays (73 in 39 NN2 games)
Of course, Gibson was a great home-run hitter and run producer, as proven with his presence atop this list. But he was also was an excellent contact hitter, recording a 1943 batting average of .466 – the highest ever in a season.
2. 259 – Josh Gibson, 1943 Homestead Grays (112 in 70 NN2 games)
3. 237 – Mule Suttles, 1926 St. Louis Stars (130 in 89 NNL games)
4. 226 – Esteban Montalvo, 1925 Cuban Stars West (60 in 43 NNL games)
5. 221 – Larry Doby, 1947 Newark Eagles (41 in 30 NN2 games)
6. 221 – Oscar Charleston, 1925 Harrisburg Giants (97 in 71 ECL games)
Charleston dominated in both the first and second Negro National Leagues, as well as the Eastern Colored league, where he won two batting titles and managed to drive in 97 runs in just 71 games in 1925. Legendary baseball writer Bill James wrote about Charleston, “in a sense, put Mays and Mantle together.” Charleston also had incredible speed, frequently stealing bases while playing elite defense in center field.
7. 221 – Mule Suttles , 1930 St. Louis Stars (64 in 47 NNL games)
8. 217 – Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, 1925 Detroit Stars (126 in 94 NNL games)
9. 217 – Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, 1929 Detroit Stars (91 in 68 NNL games)
10. 216 – Willard Brown, 1947 Kansas City Monarchs (64 in 48 NAL games)
Stolen Bases
1. 141 – Rickey Henderson, 1982 Oakland Athletics (130 in 149 games)
Henderson is definitively the most prolific base stealer the game has seen, leading the all-time career leaderboard by nearly 500 stolen bases. With his career .398 on-base percentage, he frequently had the chance to disrupt the rhythm of opposing pitchers with his speed.
2. 125 – Lou Brock, 1974, St. Louis Cardinals (118 in 153 games)
3. 121 – Rickey Henderson, 1983 Oakland Athletics (108 in 145 games)
4. 118 – Vince Coleman, 1985 St. Louis Cardinals (110 in 151 games)
5. 117 – Vince Coleman, 1987 St. Louis Cardinals (109 in 151 games)
6. 113 – Ron LeFlore, 1980 Montreal Expos (97 in 139 games)
7. 113 – Vince Coleman, 1986 St. Louis Cardinals (107 in 154 games)
8. 103 – Rickey Henderson, 1980 Oakland Athletics (100 in 158 games)
9. 102 – Maury Wills, 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers (104 in 165 games)
10. 102 – Eddie Dwight, 1937 Kansas City Monarchs (22 in 35 NAL games)
Dwight, the only former Negro League player on this list, was renowned for his speed in the outfield and his ability to steal bases in the Negro American League. Although the records of his statistics from other seasons are incomplete, it’s clear that he and fellow Negro American League base stealer Henry Milton were among the fastest players in any Negro League. James Thomas “Cool Papa” Bell and Jud Wilson are also in that discussion.
Doubles
1. 81 – Willard Brown, 1948 Kansas City Monarchs (23 in 46 NAL games)
The Hall of Famer helped lead the Monarchs to five straight NAL pennants between 1937-43. After crossing the English Channel on the D-Day invasion of France with the U.S. army, Brown returned to baseball, soon becoming the third Black player in the AL and the first to hit a home run. He returned to the NAL a year later in 1948, when he had the best season in the league’s history.
2. 75 – Ted Strong, 1937 Chicago Giants/Indianapolis Athletics/Kansas City Monarchs (12 in 26 NAL games)
3. 74 – Willard Brown, 1947 Kansas City Monarchs (22 in 48 NAL games)
4. 73 – Walter Fenner “Buck” Leonard, 1935 Homestead Grays (18 in 40 NN2 games)
Buck Leonard played in a Negro National League-record 11 All-Star games. Playing alongside Gibson, he helped propel the Grays dynasty throughout the 1930s and ’40s. He had the ability to drive the ball anywhere in the park and was referred to as “the Black Lou Gehrig.”
5. 73 – Jud Wilson, 1927 Baltimore Black Sox (30 in 67 ECL games)
6. 71 – Earl Webb, 1931 Boston Red Sox (67 in 151 games)
7. 71 – Charlie “Chino” Smith, 1929 New York Lincoln Giants (29 in 66 ANL games)
8. 71 – Jud Wilson, 1928 Baltimore Black Sox (18 in 41 ECL games)
9. 69 – George Burns, 1926 Cleveland (64 in 151 games)
10. 68 – Jim Williams, 1935 Newark Dodgers (15 in 36 NN2 games)
Triples
1. 48 – Burnis “Wild Bill” Wright, 1937 Washington Elite Giants (11 in 37 NN2 games)
At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Wright is not what modern fans would imagine when they think of a league leader in triples. He began his career as a pitcher, receiving the nickname “Wild Bill” for his lack of control. After an injury, he shifted into playing center field where he thrived in many different leagues with his tremendous arm and great speed. During his time playing in Mexico, Wright came to the rescue of pitcher Rufus Lewis, likely saving his life after Lewis was struck in the head with a bat by an opposing hitter during an altercation.
2. 48 – Ed Steele, 1945 Birmingham Black Barons (8 in 27 NAL games)
3. 42 – David Whatley, 1937 Birmingham Black Barons (7 in 27 NAL games)
4. 41 – Matt Carlisle, 1935 Homestead Grays (11 in 44 NN2 games)
5. 38 – Chief Wilson, 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates (36 in 152 games)
6. 37 – Sanford Jackson, 1932 Indianapolis ABCs (6 in 26 NSL games)
7. 37 – Norman “Turkey” Stearnes, 1930 Detroit Stars (8 in 35 NNL games)
8. 37 – Babe Melton, 1928 Cleveland Tigers (13 in 57 NNL games)
9. 36 – Roy Parnell, 1932 Monroe Monarchs (11 in 49 NSL games)
10. 35 – Mule Suttles, 1926 St. Louis Stars (19 in 89 NNL games)
Walks
1. 256 – Barry Bonds, 2004 San Francisco Giants (232 in 147 games)
While projections of most Negro League player statistical totals put their numbers among the very best of all time in any league, no player’s projected walk total comes remotely close to Bonds’. While most baseball fans understand Bonds to be the undisputed walk king of the American and National Leagues, he also holds this title over any Negro League player, further cementing him as one of the most feared, if not the most feared, hitters of all time.
2. 224 – Barry Bonds, 2002 San Francisco Giants (198 in 143 games)
3. 187 – Barry Bonds, 2001 San Francisco Giants (177 in 153 games)
4. 181 – Babe Ruth, 1923 New York Yankees (170 in 152 games)
T-5. 169 – Mark McGwire, 1998 St. Louis Cardinals (162 in 155 games)
T-5. 169 – Ted Williams, 1949 Boston Red Sox (162 in 155 games)
7. 168 – Ted Williams, 1946 Boston Red Sox (156 in 150 games)
8. 168 – Ted Williams, 1947 Boston Red Sox (162 in 156 games)
9. 162 – Henry Kimbro, 1948 Baltimore Elite Giants (59 in 59 NN2 games)
10. 161 – Eddie Yost, 1956 Washington Nationals (151 in 152 games)
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