{"id":32031,"date":"2018-01-29T14:29:53","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T19:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/?p=32031"},"modified":"2018-02-03T17:33:54","modified_gmt":"2018-02-03T22:33:54","slug":"negro-leagues-db-update-1946-nnl-nal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seamheads.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/29\/negro-leagues-db-update-1946-nnl-nal\/","title":{"rendered":"Negro Leagues DB Update: 1946 NNL & NAL"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1946<\/a> the Negro leagues began to face the inevitable. The Brooklyn Dodgers finally broke Organized Baseball\u2019s 60-year-old color line, signing several black players for their minor league system\u2014including the best player in the 1945 Negro American<\/a> League, the Monarchs\u2019 shortstop Jackie Robinson<\/strong><\/a>, and arguably the best player in the 1945 Negro National League<\/a>, the Elite Giants\u2019 catcher Roy Campanella<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Returning veterans helped the Negro leagues compensate for white baseball\u2019s inroads, at least temporarily. Monte Irvin<\/strong><\/a> (.363\/.431\/.522), Larry Doby<\/strong><\/a> (.339\/.414\/.557), Leon Day<\/strong><\/a> (11-2, 2.41), and Max Manning<\/strong><\/a> (10-2, 2.80) led the Newark Eagles<\/a> to a dominant pennant victory in the NNL, while Willard Brown<\/strong><\/a> (.306\/.342\/.528) and Ted Strong<\/strong><\/a> (.321\/.406\/.464) sparked the Kansas City Monarchs<\/a> to an equally lopsided win in the NAL. The Eagles prevailed in a tense, classic, 7-game World Series.<\/p>\n

Bereft of their longtime leader Cumberland Posey<\/strong><\/a>, who died in March, the Homestead Grays<\/a> slumped to their worst season since the mid-1930s, as they finished in second place, but barely above .500 (36-34) in league games. The blame lay not with veterans Josh Gibson<\/strong><\/a> (.320\/.382\/.651), Buck Leonard<\/strong><\/a> (.337\/.459\/.550), or Cool Papa Bell<\/strong><\/a> (.393\/.452\/.451), but rather with a pitching staff devastated by the loss of Johnny Wright<\/strong><\/a> to the Dodgers\u2019 organization and the departures of Roy Welmaker<\/strong><\/a> and Ray Brown<\/strong><\/a> (to Venezuela and Mexico, respectively).<\/p>\n

Newcomers to the Negro leagues in 1946 included a young Cuban third baseman named Orestes Mi\u00f1oso<\/strong><\/a>, as well as future big leaguers Al Smith<\/strong><\/a>, Harry Simpson<\/strong><\/a>, and Luis M\u00e1rquez<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Next up: the 1948 NAL & NNL, 1938 Negro American League, 1927 Eastern Colored League, 1929 American Negro League, and more.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Future major leaguers Al Smith, Harry Simpson, Minnie Mi\u00f1oso<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1946 the Negro leagues began to face the inevitable. The Brooklyn Dodgers finally broke Organized Baseball\u2019s 60-year-old color line, signing several black players for their minor league system\u2014including the best player in the 1945 Negro American League, the Monarchs\u2019 shortstop Jackie Robinson, and arguably the best player in the 1945 Negro National League, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":809,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,16162,4235],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-negro-lgs","category-top-stories"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t