Four
days after the 38th anniversary of his election to the National
Baseball Hall of Fame, Ernie Banks died two weeks ago on January 23. The former shortstop/first baseman for the
Chicago Cubs was 83 years old.
After
Jackie Robinson crashed through Major League baseball’s closed door for African
American and Hispanic ballplayers in 1947, Ernie Banks made sure the door
stayed open through his performance on the field during the 1950s.
From
1955 – 1959, Banks hit 248 home runs, more than any other Major League player
during that period of time. He hit over 40 home runs in five of those six
years, leading the National League in home runs twice, 47 in 1958 and 41 in
1960. Banks also had more Runs Batted
In (RBI) than anyone else during that time period with 693, an average of 115 per year. He was named National League Most Valuable
Player (MVP) in 1958 and 1959, the first and one of only four African American
players to receive that honor for consecutive years; Joe Morgan (1975 - 1976),
Frank Thomas (1993 - 1994), and Barry Bonds (1992 – 1993, 2001 – 2004) being
the others. An eleven time All Star, Banks
is member of the 500 career home run club with 512.
In
order for baseball’s “great experiment” of integration to fully work, there had
to be successful players to build on the accomplishments of Jackie
Robinson. No player did more
statistically on the field in the 1950s to solidify the place of African
Americans in the Major Leagues than Ernie Banks. He is in the forefront of any conversation
about the best player in the Major Leagues during the mid to late 1950s.
What other former Negro League player
was a multiple National League Most Valuable Player Award winner in the 1950s?
