Forgotten Heroes:
John Beckwith
Center for Negro League Baseball Research
Copyright 2014
Dr. Layton Revel
and
Luis Munoz
All Nations Baseball Club (1918)
Chicago, Illinois
(Stanley H. Beckwith - fifth from left)
Baltimore Black Sox (1925)
Eastern Colored League
(Jud Wilson – back row third from right and John Beckwith - kneeling second from right)
John Beckwith was born on January 10, 1900 in Louisville, Kentucky to Jacob and Daisy
Beckwith. The Beckwith family (mother, John and his siblings) moved to Chicago when he was
young. John learned to play baseball on the sandlots of Chicago following in the footsteps of his
older brother Stanley H. who was an outstanding ball player and played for various high level
teams in the Chicago area.
John Beckwith was an extremely large and powerful man
for his day. He stood approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and
and weighed 230 pounds during his playing days. According
to players who played with and against him, John was
230 pounds of solid home run hitting muscle. Beckwith
batted from the right side of the plate and threw right
handed.
He was one of the great power hitters of Negro League
baseball history. During the 1920’s and early 1930’s,
John Beckwith is considered by many as the best hitter
in Negro League baseball. Beckwith could hit for both
power and average. He posted a career batting average
of .352 in Negro League games and a career batting
average of .369 in games against all levels of competition.
Prior to Josh Gibson, he was the most feared power hitter
in the Negro Leagues. John was a big man who reportedly
used a 38 inch bat that weighed 42 ounces. His homeruns
were legendary in the 1920’s and early 1930’s. Beckwith
was a pull hitter who consistently overcame opponents
fielding shifts to deliver a base hit.
In the field he was primarily a third baseman, shortstop and
catcher but had the versatility to play several other positions
including pitcher during his baseball career which lasted
from 1916 to 1942.
During the latter part of his career and when he retired as
an active player, Beckwith managed the Baltimore Black
Sox, Harrisburg Giants, Newark Browns, Brooklyn Royal
Giants, New York Stars, Beckwith’s Stars and several other
teams.
Harrisburg Giants
Beckwith is reported to have had a fiery temper or as his good friend Al “Cleffie” Fennar who
played with and against him in the Negro Leagues once said in an interview: “Beck was a touchy
ball player.” He could be very head strong and hard for managers to handle. If someone got in
Beckwith’s face, he didn’t back down. Once in a game while he was playing for the New York
Lincoln Giants, Bill Holland who was pitching for the Giants threw down his glove and berated
John for an error he had just made costing his team the game. Beckwith’s response was to walk
over to Holland and punch him in the face knocking him out. However, Fennar also said of his
friend that if you left him alone, you wouldn’t have any problems. Turkey Stearnes (Negro
League great and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame) shared similar views about
Beckwith in an interview that he did with John Holway (Negro League researcher). When asked
about his experiences with Beckwith, Stearnes said the following: “John Beckwith was one of my
favorite ballplayers. He’d fight in a minute, but if you didn’t bother him, he didn’t bother you. I
never had any trouble with him and I played on the club right beside him.”
1
Over the course of his professional baseball career (1916-1942), John was quick to move from
one ball club to another, especially if he felt he was underappreciated or not being paid top dollar.
Whether it was for financial reasons or if Beckwith just felt he wasn’t being treated fairly, he
changed teams at least twenty-six (26) times during the regular season. Because of his ability to
hit the ball especially for power and run production, Beckwith’s services were always in demand.
No matter where he played, Beckwith was always a fan favorite and a “big” draw at the gate.
Early Baseball Career
John grew up playing baseball on the sandlots of Chicago. He was greatly influenced by his older
brother Stanley H. who played professional baseball for the Chicago Giants (1917-1918) and E.A.
and E.H. Backlin’s All Nations baseball club (team based in Chicago) in 1918. As a teenager,
John thought he wanted a career as a professional boxer. It is rumored that he changed his mind
after a sparring session with Sam “Boston Tar Baby” Langford. Langford was a vicious fighter
who won 200 professional fights during his career and was voted the # 2 greatest puncher of all
time by Ring Magazine. Evidently a good beating by Langford and encouragement by his brother
(Stanley) got John to play professional baseball instead of taking up a career as a professional
boxer.
According to some Negro League researchers, John played his
first game as a professional ball player on July 02, 1916 for
the Montgomery Grey Sox during their Northern tour. Other
researchers credit his brother Stanley as playing for the Grey
Sox. In 1917 John Beckwith started the season with the
Havana Stars (traveling team based out of Chicago) before he
joined the Chicago Giants as they barnstormed through the
Great Lakes and Midwest. John also played for Jewell’s
ABC’s and the Indianapolis ABC’s during the 1917 season.
Havana Stars vs Indiana Harbor
The Lake Country Times
Hammond, Indiana
06-02-17
Research by Gary Ashwill has revealed that John worked at
the Illinois State Reformatory in 1918. He also continued to
play baseball in the Chicago area while he was working at the
State Reformatory. John played several games in 1918 with
his brother Stanley H. for the All Nations team that was based
in Chicago. The All Nations club only played a limited
number of games during the season because their bookings
were limited to the weekends and holidays.
In 1919 John played with the Chicago Giants in 1919 as they
played an independent schedule. Beckwith also played for
Rube Foster’s Chicago American Giants during 1919.
Chicago Giants vs Hammond Baseball Club (1917)
2
Negro League Career
Black baseball changed dramatically in 1920 when Rube Foster formed the Negro National
League. Rube Foster’s league brought black baseball to the forefront in America. The Negro
National League also brought organization to black baseball and significantly raised its stature in
the baseball community. The following teams and the league standings for the 1920 Negro
National League season were as follows:
Negro National League (1920)
Chicago American Giants
Detroit Stars
Kansas City Monarchs
Indianapolis ABC’s
Cuban Stars
St. Louis Giants
Dayton Marcos
Chicago Giants
32-13
35-23
41-29
39-35
21-24
25-32
8-18
4-24
.711
.603
.585
.527
.467
.439
.308
.143
During the inaugural season of the Negro National League in 1920,
Beckwith played for the Chicago Giants. The Chicago Giants were
owned by Charles “Joe” Green who had played for the Leland Giants
during his playing days. As the season progressed it became apparent
that the Giants lacked both the hitting and pitching to compete with the
other Negro National League squads. The pitching staff struggled so
much that John was even called on to pitch one game. The poor
performance of the Giants was in spite of Beckwith’s play. He finished
the season as the second leading hitter on the team with a .286 batting
average behind third baseman William Green (.314). In the twenty-six
“league” games for which box scores have been recovered, Beckwith
had 25 runs batted in which was extremely productive. At the end of the
season the Chicago Giants made a barnstorming tour to Utah, Idaho,
Montana and several other western states.
Chicago Giants (1920)
(John Beckwith - back row fourth from right)
Reno Evening Gazette
Reno, Nevada
02-16-20
3
Beckwith rejoined the Chicago Giants for the 1921
Negro National League season as their starting shortstop.
It was during the 1921 season that Beckwith really came
into his own as a hitter. As the team’s starting shortstop,
Beckwith led his team in hitting with a .378 batting
average and in slugging with a .547 slugging percentage.
His .378 batting average placed him in third place
behind Oscar Charleston and Negro National League
batting champion Charles Blackwell (.448) for the
league batting title. John was also very productive in
driving in runs with 41 RBI’s in the 38 “league” games
he played. Even with Beckwith in their line-up, the
Chicago Giants still finished in last place in the Negro
National League standings. The Giants record, however,
did improve from 4-24 (.143) in 1920 to 10-32 (.238) in
1921.
Chicago Giants vs Indianapolis ABC’s
Negro National League
The Indianapolis Sunday Star
05-02-20
Before the start of the 1922 Negro National
League season, Beckwith was signed by Rube
Foster to play for his Chicago American Giants.
Under the leadership of Rube Foster, Chicago
had won the Negro National League titles in
1920 and 1921. During the off season, John had
gone from the worst team in the league to the best.
Led by the hitting of Cristobel Torriente (.393)
and Beckwith (.361), the Chicago American Giants
finished the season with a 36-23 record and won
their third straight Negro National League title.
Chicago Giants
Alton Evening Telegraph
07-2-21
The Chicago American Giants pitching staff was led by Dave Brown (16-7), Juan Padrone (1411) and Huck Rile (10-4). In the fifty-nine (59) “league” games Beckwith played for the
American Giants during the 1922 season, he compiled the following statistics:
Games
59
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
194
43
70
20
3
7
50
10
.361
.603
After the conclusion of the regular 1922 season schedule, the Chicago American Giants met the
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants in the Negro League World Series. The five game series was
played in Chicago with game one being played on September 12th and game five only four days
later on September 16th. Behind the strong pitching of Dave Brown and the timely hitting of Dave
Malarcher, Leroy Grant and John Beckwith, the Chicago American Giants defeated the
Bacharach Giants three games to two to win the Negro League World Series.
Beckwith was back with the Chicago American Giants for the 1923 Negro National League
season. John moved to third base for the 1923 season. Beckwith had a good season in 1923. He
hit .304 with a .537 slugging percentage and drove in 77 runs in 72 games. He also finished
among the league leaders in doubles (21), triples (9) and homeruns (8). The American Giants
finished the season with a 41-29 (.586) record which tied them with the Detroit Stars for second
place in the league standings. The Kansas City Monarchs won the Negro National League title
with a 57-33 (.633) record.
4
After the 1923 season, Oscar Charleston and John Beckwith joined the Detroit Stars for an
exhibition series against the St. Louis Browns of the American League. Behind the hitting of
Charleston (who went 6 for 12 with 3 homeruns), Beckwith (who when the Stars were down 6-0
hit a two run homerun that sparked Detroit to a 7-6 come from behind victory) and Turkey
Stearnes (who went 6 for 13), the Stars beat the Browns two out of three games. Beckwith then
joined Rube Foster’s Chicago American Giants to play a three game series versus the Detroit
Tigers. Chicago split the series with one win, one loss and one tie.
The Eastern Colored League (ECL) was formed in 1923 by Ed Bolden who owned the Hilldale
baseball club. Before the 1923 season, the ECL owners raided the Negro National League for
several of its top stars. Several of the players who jumped to the Eastern Colored League were:
Biz Mackey, George Scales, Clint Thomas and Frank Warfield. The Eastern Colored League
included the following teams in their first season: Hilldale, Cuban Stars, Brooklyn Royal Giants,
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, New York Lincoln Giants and Baltimore Black Sox. Baltimore
finished in last place in the ECL during its inaugural season and was determined to improve their
position in the league standings. Prior to the 1924 season the owner of the Black Sox decided to
revamp his entire roster. Baltimore’s first move was to hire Negro League legend Pete Hill as the
team’s manager. Baltimore then signed the following stars: Harry Blackman, Bill Force, Crush
Holloway, Bob McClure, Neal Pullen and Joe Strong to join Jud Wilson and the Black Sox team.
John Beckwith started the 1924 season with the Cum Posey’s Homestead Grays. When Beckwith
joined the team he was named the team’s starting catcher and team captain. Posey’s signing of
Beckwith was major news in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Excerpts from Pittsburg Courier articles
about Beckwith’s short tenure with the Homestead Grays are as follows:
“The lure of the East, New York and the big time, had no particular appeal for this
earnest hard working diamond star or if it did, he remained true to his promise and signed
a contract. His buddy, Judy Gans (Lincoln Giants’ manager), attempted to persuade him
to go East, but his reply, typical of him, was to the effect that he had signed up with the
Grays and intended to come here.”
(Pittsburg Courier, 03-29-24)
“Colorful to the extreme, Beckwith is the kind of player who will make a decided
impression with fans throughout the tri-state district, and his name in the lineup will be an
immense drawing power. He will do the receiving for the Grays. Realizing this fact and
also realizing that tempting offers from various Eastern magnates were being flaunted
almost daily in the face of the former Foster star, Posey went to Chicago two weeks ago,
and upon his return brought back the bats which are Beckwith’s greatest hobby. Where
ever those bats go, there goes Beckwith also, and when he appeared Saturday, one of
Posey’s biggest causes for worry had been removed.”
(Pittsburg Courier, 04-12-24)
“The climax of the entire affair occurred Saturday,” said one of the players, talking for
himself. It was in the crucial eighth inning. Bellevue at the time was leading 3-1. Posey,
on the first base coaching line, sent a pinch-hitter up. Beckwith waved him back.
Eventually our club lost, 3-2. That started the fireworks. Posey is as reasonable as
anyone, if you get the results. But when you go against his better judgment, and lose
games, that is a different thing.”
(Pittsburg Courier, 06-21-24)
“Beckwith was unable to fit our organization,” Posey said, “and we felt that we had to
either let him go or ruin the morale of our club.”
(Pittsburg Courier, 06-21-24)
5
Financial disagreements and arguments over how players would be used in games between Posey
and John ended up with him being released by the Grays only after about six weeks with the club.
The Baltimore Black Sox of the Eastern Colored League did not hesitate signing Beckwith. As
soon as news was made public of Beckwith’s release, Charles Spedden (owner of the Baltimore
Black Sox) got on a train to Pittsburgh to sign Beckwith, but Beckwith had already gone back to
his home in Chicago. Spedden continued this journey to Chicago and signed Beckwith on the
spot. The Pittsburg Courier reported Beckwith’s signing with Baltimore in the following article
on June 28, 1924.
“Beckwith is one of the most valuable players in organized baseball. Still a young man,
he will give the Black Sox just that punch without which they cannot hope to rise above
third place. His acquisition has made Baltimore one of the strongest clubs in the East, and
the league race (Eastern Colored League) from now on promises to take on all the glitter
of real fireworks.”
(Pittsburg Courier, 06-28-24)
The Baltimore Afro-American reported the following story on July 4, 1924 about Beckwith’s
signing by the Black Sox.
“In the acquisition of Beckwith, formerly of the Homestead Grays (Pittsburg), the Black
Sox have one of the greatest performers in the Eastern League. Manager Posey himself
admits that Beckwith is a star but due to personal reasons the two agreed to disagree and
parted. The fans with one accord always give Beckwith the glad hand, and proving
beyond a doubt his worth to the Sox.”
(Baltimore Afro-American, 07-04-24)
Evidently, Cum Posey had second thoughts about releasing John because he is reported to have
spent a week in Baltimore trying to convince Beckwith to come back to the Grays. With his
signing, the Black Sox filled a hole at shortstop and added a big bat to their starting line-up. Upon
his arrival in Baltimore, Beckwith was named the team captain of the Black Sox.
Beckwith responded to the confidence that Baltimore had placed in him and along with Jud
Wilson they led the Black Sox from a last place finish in 1923 to second place in 1924. The Black
Sox had a record of 30-19 (.612) for the 1924 Eastern Colored League (ECL) season. All the new
players that Baltimore had added to their roster in the off season produced during the 1924
season. Baltimore had six players in their starting line-up who hit over .300 for the 1924 ECL
season: Beckwith (.386), Jud Wilson (.381), Harry Blackman (.344), Julio Rojo (.328), Neal
Pullen (.316) and Crush Holloway (.306). The new pitchers that the Black Sox added to their
starting rotation also delivered on the mound: Bob McClure (15-4), Bill Force (10-8) and Joe
Strong (9-5).
Beckwith had an excellent season with Baltimore in 1924. He led the Eastern Colored League in
both hitting with a .386 batting average and in slugging with a .659 slugging percentage. John
also tied Oscar Charleston for the Eastern Colored League homerun title with each hitting nine
homeruns. His complete statistics for Eastern Colored League games for the 1924 season are:
Games
35
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
132
36
51
7
1
9
35
9
.386
.659
It has been reported that Beckwith hit 40 homeruns and compiled a batting average of .452 when
“non-league” and “league” game statistics were combined for the 1924 season.
The Baltimore Black Sox played a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics of the
American League after the 1924 Eastern Colored League season. Each team won one game. John
Beckwith was the hitting star of the series with three hits that included two homeruns.
6
Baltimore Black Sox (1925)
(Jud Wilson – standing third from right and John Beckwith – kneeling second from right)
During the winter of 1924 George Rossiter, co-owner of the Baltimore Black Sox, met with John
Beckwith in Chicago and signed Beckwith as the player-manager for the 1925 season. Pete Hill
who had managed the team during the 1924 season remained with the club as the business
manager. When asked by the media about the Black Sox prospects for the upcoming Eastern
Colored League season, Rossiter was quoted in the Afro American as saying the following: “I
believe the Sox will be one of the best clubs in the East and will be a pennant winning team.”
Afro American
01-03-25
Afro American (1925)
Baltimore boasted a strong hitting lineup for the 1925 season that included:
Jud Wilson (.419), John Beckwith
(.407), Oscar “Heavy” Johnson (.352),
Harry Jeffries (.287) and Crush
Holloway (.286). Forty-two year old
Pete also filled in occasionally and hit
.353 for the season. Joe Strong (10-9)
and Bob McClure (9-4) were
Baltimore’s top two pitchers and pitched
well most of the season. However the
rest of the pitching staff failed to deliver
when they were called upon in key
games. George Britt (3-3), Wayne Carr
(2-3), Bill Force (1-3), Jim Jefferies (02) and W.P. Evans (0-4) made up the
rest of the Black Sox’s pitching staff.
7
Beckwith started the season on a hitting streak and continued his dominance over “league”
pitching. He finished the 1925 season with a .407 batting average in fourth place for the league
batting title. Jud Wilson (Baltimore Black Sox) won the batting title with a .419 batting average,
Oscar Charleston (Harrisburg Giants) came in second with a .416 average and Bernardo Baro
(Cuban Stars) was third with a .412 average. John led the Eastern Colored League in homeruns
with 24 total homeruns (16 of which were hit in league games) and in slugging with a .762
slugging percentage. His statistics for Eastern Colored League games for the 1925 season are:
Games
46
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
172
46
70
11
1
16
62
2
.407
.762
When both “league” and “non-league” games are taken into consideration, John Holway (Negro
League researcher) reports the following statistics for John Beckwith for the 1925 season:
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
-
264
-
107
22
8
HR
RBI
24
-
SB
BA
SLG
-
.406
.822
According to records that appeared in the Afro American on 11-7-25, Beckwith had a season
batting average of .419 for the season.
Crush Holloway, Jud Wilson, Oscar “Heavy” Johnson and John Beckwith
Stars of the Eastern Colored League (1925)
In late July of the 1925 season, Beckwith became involved in an altercation with an umpire by the
name of Sewell after a game and was accused of assaulting him. According to witnesses,
Beckwith got off the team bus and struck Sewell for his one sided decisions during a game Sewell
had umpired. Beckwith was fined $ 100 and suspended by Ed Bolden, President of the Eastern
Colored League.
Shortly after his suspension, Beckwith asked team owner Charles Spedden for his unconditional
release. It had been a tumultuous season for John Beckwith. He had numerous problems all
season with his players, opposing players, fans and anyone else whom he thought had gotten in
his way. Several of his own players told the media that Beckwith was “too temperamental to
handle a group of men.” Spedden did not grant Beckwith his release. Instead, during the first
week of August Beckwith was relieved of duty by Spedden as the team’s manager and Pete Hill
was named manager for the rest of the Black Sox’s season. Beckwith remained with Baltimore
and continued to play on a daily basis.
8
In late August Beckwith had had enough and left the Baltimore Black Sox and returned to his
home in Chicago. When he returned to Chicago, John’s goal was to play for the Chicago
American Giants. Beckwith’s plan was to either get a release from Baltimore or have Rube Foster
of the Chicago American Giants make a trade with the Black Sox for his contract. Rube Foster
who owned the Chicago American Giants wanted to acquire Beckwith’s services and is rumored
to have offered Baltimore pitcher Juan Padrone and two other players for Beckwith’s contract.
Beckwith was in favor of the trade because he lived in Chicago and ran a pool hall there in the off
season. John even appealed to the Negro National League Commissioner to let him play for the
Chicago American Giants, but nothing could be worked out and Beckwith remained the property
of Baltimore.
Afro-American
08-08-25
Baltimore finished the Eastern Colored League (ECL) season with a 31-19 (.620) record in third
place behind the Harrisburg Giants (37-19) and Hilldale (52-15). With all the problems and
turmoil during the season, they ended the year with a very good record, but not the championship
that the owners of the Black Sox had anticipated.
9
After returning home to Chicago, Beckwith
played several games for Joe Green’s Chicago
Giants.
Afro American
08-29-25
Ironically, Beckwith rejoined the Baltimore
Black Sox for their post season barnstorming
tour after the 1925 regular season. The Kansas
City Monarchs were one of the principal
opponents in their tour.
Beckwith goes to Cuba
In November of 1925 John Beckwith was signed by San Jose of the Cuban Winter League. The
1925-26 Cuban Winter League which ran from 10/31/25 to 1/31/26 included only three teams
(Almendares, Habana and San Jose). This was San Jose’s inaugural season in the league. The
team owners signed Joseito Rodriquez as the team’s player/manager. Rodriquez recruited
Beckwith and several other Negro League players to fill his starting line-up. Jesse “Nip” Winters
(0-3) and Merven “Red” Ryan (1-2) were two of San Jose’s top pitchers. Besides Beckwith,
Rodriquez brought in the following Negro League stars: Pelayo Chacon (.143), Pablo Mesa (.338)
and Alejandro Oms (.324).
After playing in only two games Beckwith left
Cuba and returned to Chicago to attend his
mother’s funeral. According to media reports,
Cuban fans hated to see John go because even in
his short time on the island they were in awe of
his powerful clouts. Before John could return to
Cuba, San Jose withdrew from the league. They
were 3-16 at the time and suffered from poor
attendance at the gate. San Jose withdrew from
the league on December 22, 1925. Almendares
won the Cuban Winter League title with a record
of 34-13.
Afro American
12-12-25
Beckwith faces being banned from Organized Baseball
Before the start of the 1926 season it was reported in a story that appeared in the Afro American
newspaper on March 3rd that John Beckwith would be banned from organized baseball. The
reason for the ban was reported that Beckwith had or was about to sign with Cumberland Posey
of the Homestead Grays while his contract was still the property of the Baltimore Black Sox. The
Grays were not a “league” team and played an independent schedule. Posey’s position was that he
did not belong to either “league” and was not bound by their rules. Fortunately for Negro League
baseball nothing came of the rumor. Had John gone with the Grays it would have most likely
caused a raiding war between “league” teams and independent teams especially the Homestead
Grays.
10
During the off season between the end of the 1925 season and the start of the 1926 Eastern
Colored League season, Beckwith and the owners of the Baltimore Black Sox resolved their
differences and John was back with the Baltimore Black Sox before the start of the season. The
Black Sox returned basically the same team as they had the season before. The 1926 Baltimore
Black Sox featured the power hitting quartet of John Beckwith, Crush Holloway, Oscar “Heavy”
Johnson and Jud “Babe Ruth” Wilson. Other key offensive players for Baltimore were Robert
Clark, (C), Julio Rojo (C), Dick Seay (2B) and Ben Taylor (1B). The pitching staff for the Black
Sox for the 1926 Eastern Colored League season included Laymon Yokely (6-8), Joe Strong
(4-4), Bob McClure (4-14), Bill Mungin (3-3) and Bill Force (2-3).
Besides playing first base, Ben Taylor also managed the Baltimore team. The Baltimore Black
Sox played their home games at Maryland Park during the 1926 season.
The Black Sox hitters started the season strong. After the first three weeks of the season had been
completed the Black Sox were .323 as a team. They were led by the hitting of Jud Wilson (.426),
John Beckwith (.426), Crush Holloway (.409) and Oscar “Heavy Johnson (.389). Unfortunately
they were only playing five hundred baseball. The reason for their mediocre record was that they
were not getting any pitching. This was a trend that would last all season. Baltimore had rested
their hopes on two young pitchers Chuck Bowers (only 17 years old) and Laymon Yokely (20
years old). Yokely would go on to an excellent Negro League career, but in 1926 he still did not
have the experience to deal with the formidable Eastern Colored League hitters.
On July 4th of the 1926 season, the Baltimore Black Sox joined the Interstate League. The
Interstate League was made up of three Eastern Colored League teams (Hilldale, Harrisburg
Giants and Bacharach Giants) and three white teams (Allentown, Camden and Chester) at the
time when Baltimore joined the league. The season was about half over when the Black Sox
started league play. Hilldale (16-7) and Harrisburg (15-7) were the Interstate League leaders on
July 4, 1926. The Baltimore Black Sox also played an Eastern Colored League schedule at the
same time they were playing in the Interstate League.
Jesse “Mountain” Hubbard, Raleigh “Biz” Mackey”, John Beckwith, Herbert “Rap” Dixon and Clint Thomas
Hilldale Giants (1926)
11
Afro American
05-01-26
John Beckwith had an excellent season for the Black Sox in 1926. In the twenty-five (25)
“league” games for which box scores have been found, he compiled the following offensive
statistics.
Team
Games
Baltimore
25
AB
81
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
19
30
5
1
4
11
1
.370
SLG
.605
During the 1926 season, Beckwith was the
leading hitter for the Black Sox. Baltimore also
got excellent hitting from Oscar “Heavy”
Johnson (.359) and Jud Wilson (.347). Even
with three such outstanding hitters, the
Baltimore Black Sox couldn’t win games on a
consistent basis. Pitching continued to be their
nemesis all season.
Beckwith Blasts Two Homeruns
Afro American
06-26-26
In an attempt to turn their season around,
Baltimore Black Sox management felt that
drastic measures were necessary. During the first
week in July, Baltimore traded John Beckwith to
the Harrisburg Giants for catcher/third baseman
Mark Eggleston, right handed pitcher Daltie
Cooper (5-1), left-handed pitcher Wilbur
Pritchard (2-6) and an undisclosed amount of
cash which was thought to have been significant.
12
In an interview with the Afro American newspaper, Ben Taylor
(Manager of the Black Sox) felt they got the best end of the deal
because they were sorely in need of pitching. The deal was one
of the largest and most important trades in the Eastern Colored
League during the year.
The trade didn’t help Baltimore. They gave up Beckwith, one of
the best hitters in the East, and still finished the season in sixth
place in the final Eastern Colored League standings with a record
of 18-29 (.383).
The trade, however, worked out extremely well for Beckwith as
he went from a mediocre team to a pennant contender in Harrisburg.
Beckwith becomes a Giant
The Harrisburg Giants already had a top level team before Beckwith
was signed. Colonel William Strothers who owned the Giants had
the highest paid black ball club in the country. The team already had
one of the best outfields in the history of Negro League baseball.
This legendary trio included: Oscar Charleston, Rap Dixon and
Fats Jenkins. According to Negro League researchers Ted Knorr and
Calobe Jackson, the Giants scored runs at a pace that was greater
than the 1927 New York Yankees
The hitting attack for the Giants was led by Herbert “Rap” Dixon
(.349), John Beckwith (330), Clarence “Fats” Jenkins (.315), Walter
“Rev” Cannady (.310), Bill Johnson (.302) and Oscar Charleston
(.302). The heart of Harrisburg’s pitching staff included: Charles
Corbett (8-0), Ping Gardner (8-7), Cliff Carter (5-1) and Henry
Gillespie (3-1).
In 1926 they were making a run at the ECL title and acquired
Beckwith to play third base and bolster their hitting attack. The
duo of Charleston and Beckwith was comparative to Lou Gehrig
and Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees.
The Harrisburg Giants finished the 1926 Eastern Colored League
season in second place with a record of 25-17 (.595). The Atlantic
City Bacharach Giants won the pennant with a record of 34-20 (.630)
and played the Chicago American Giants in the Negro League World
Series.
Afro American
07-10-26
John Beckwith’s complete statistics for the 1926 Eastern Colored League (ECL) season are:
Team
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
Baltimore
Harrisburg
25
31
81
115
19
25
30
38
5
7
1
3
4
3
11
15
1
3
.370
.330
.605
.522
Total
56
196
44
68
12
4
7
26
4
.347
.556
13
In October of 1926, John Beckwith and Oscar
Charleston joined the Hilldale club to play a six game
exhibition series versus Earle Mack’s All Stars. Earle
Mack’s team included Major League pitchers: Lefty
Grove, Jack Quinn, Fred Heimich and Rube Walberg.
The series was played in Wilmington (DE), Hilldale
Park (Philadelphia) and Bloomsburg (PA). John was the
hero of game one when he hit a two run homerun in the
eighth inning to give Hilldale a 3-2 victory over the
Major Leaguers. Hilldale dominated the Major League
All Stars and won the series five games to one. Beckwith
and Charleston led the way in hitting for Hilldale. Phil
Cockrell and Jesse “Nip” Winters dominated the Major
League hitters and each won two games for Hilldale.
In 1926 post season play, John Beckwith also played for
the Homestead Grays as they took on the American
League All Stars. Beckwith played for the Grays in a
game in Youngstown (OH) with 6,000 fans in
attendance. John went 2 for 4 in the game.
Hilldale vs Earle Mack’s All Stars
Beckwith hits the game winning Homerun
Afro American
10-09-26
Before the start of the 1927 Eastern Colored League (ECL) season, Colonel Strothers (owner of
the Harrisburg Giants) replaced Oscar Charleston as the team’s manager with John Beckwith. The
1927 Harrisburg Giants team fielded a power packed line-up with six players hitting over .300 for
the season: Rev Cannady (.385), Fats Jenkins (.366), Oscar Charleston (.357), Rap Dixon (.348),
John Beckwith (.340) and Oscar “Heavy” Johnson (.308).
Beckwith’s final statistics for his 1927 Eastern Colored League (ECL) season are:
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
48
188
43
64
2B
10
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
2
5
27
2
.340
.495
Clifford Carter (10-2 record in ECL games) was the ace of the Giants pitching staff. According to
research by John Holway, Carter had a won loss record of 18-9 when “league” games and “nonleague” are added together.
Other members of Harrisburg’s starting rotation during the season included: Daltie Cooper, Ping
Gardner, Sam Cooper, Bill Mungrin, Charles Corbett and Charles Craig.
The Harrisburg Giants played their home games at Island Park during the 1927 season.
14
Harrisburg Giants (1926)
(Walter “Rev” Cannady, John Beckwith and Clifford Carter)
The 1927 Eastern Colored League (ECL) ended in controversy when Harrisburg claimed the
second half of the season’s title. The Giants based their claim on a forfeit win and demanded that
the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants play them in a play-off series for the “league” title. Atlantic
City refused to play Harrisburg and Eastern Colored League officials threw out the disputed win
from the league standings. This gave the Bacharach Giants the ECL title and sent them to the
Negro League World Series.
Overall, the Harrisburg Giants had a very good season in 1927. Unfortunately, they fell just short
of the Eastern Colored League championship, finishing in second place for the second straight
year to the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (54-25). Harrisburg finished the season with a
“league” won-loss record of 41-32 (.562). The final standings for the 1927 Eastern Colored
League season were as follows:
Eastern Colored League (1927)
Games
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
Harrisburg Giants
Cuban Stars (East)
Baltimore Black Sox
Hilldale
New York Lincoln Giants
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Record
Pct.
89
73
65
70
81
30
46
54-35
41-32
33-32
35-35
36-45
12-18
15-31
.607
.562
.508
.500
.444
.400
.326
Controversy, trouble and turmoil had haunted John Beckwith as the manager of the Harrisburg
Giants all season. After a five game losing streak to Hilldale near the end of the season and losing
out on their claim for the second half “league” title, Beckwith was done as the team’s manager.
15
Beckwith finished the 1927 season with the Homestead Grays. Newspaper articles from 1927
report that Beckwith hit 72 homeruns for the season. The Grays played an independent schedule
in the East and were not a member of the Eastern Colored League.
After their regular season schedule had concluded, the Grays played a four game series against
the American League All Stars. The Major League squad included: Harry Heilmann, Jimmie
Dykes, Heine Manusch, Wally Schang and Rube Walberg. The exhibition series was played in
Pittsburgh (PA) and each team won two games.
In November of 1927 John Beckwith, Oscar Charleston and Jud Wilson joined the Atlantic City
Bacharach Giants to play a two game exhibition series against Earle Mack’s All Stars. The first
game was played at Shibe Park in Philadelphia and the second game was played in Newark.
Beckwith also played for Ben Taylor’s Baltimore Black Sox in an exhibition game against
Mervin Jacobson’s White All Stars in late November. The white Major Leaguers featured the
hitting of Hack Wilson and the pitching of St. Louis Cardinals starter Bill Sherdel. Beckwith went
4 for 4 in the game with a double and two homeruns off of Sherdel.The Black Sox won the game
by a score of 8-7.
.
Homestead Grays (1928)
(Beckwith – back row fourth from left)
Prior to the start of the 1928 season, Cumberland Posey (owner of the Homestead Grays) signed
John Beckwith to strengthen an already solid Grays’ starting line-up. In 1928 Homestead was led
by the hitting of Dennis Graham (.392), Walter Cannady (.336), Martin Dihigo (.333), Jap
Washington (.323), John Beckwith (.320), Vic Harris (.292) and Floyd “Jelly” Gardner (.284).
With their outstanding hitting line-up, the Homestead Grays averaged scoring 7.34 runs per game
during the 1928 season. The Grays also had a very strong starting pitching rotation in 1928 that
included Smokey Joe Williams, Sam Streeter, Martin Dihigo and Webster McDonald.
Research by Scott Simkus and Gary Ashwill has identified that the Homestead Grays scheduled
171 games during their 1928 season. The Grays played their home games at Forbes Field which
was also the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After briefly playing in the Eastern Colored League,
Homestead played an independent schedule for the rest of the season. Unlike most teams that
16
played an independent baseball schedule, the Homestead Grays played the vast majority (over
90 %) of their games less than two hours from their home base of Pittsburgh.
Ashwill and Simkus have found newspaper records for 150 of the 171 games that the Homestead
Grays scheduled for the 1928 season. The Homestead Grays posted a won-loss record of 117-276 (.813) for these 150 games. A breakdown of their won-loss record is as follows: 12-8 (.600)
record for games against Eastern Colored League and other top black clubs, 8-2-1 (.800) record
against “white” minor league teams, 5-3 (.625) record against Major League All Star teams and
an 88-14-5 (.863) record against semi-pro competition.
Cum Posey got his money’s worth out of signing Beckwith. John had an excellent season for the
Homestead Grays in 1928. Some of his highlights for the season are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Morning Herald
Uniontown, PA
06-02-28
On June 2nd in a doubleheader played in Uniontown (PA) against the
Havana Red Sox, Beckwith hit five (5) homeruns, a single, two base on
balls and made a long fly out in his nine (9) at bats.
On June 6th, The Newcastle News reported that Beckwith had already hit
his 24th homerun of the season.
On July 12th, the Zanesville Signal reported that John had already hit 34
homeruns in the 77 games he played up to that point in the season.
On August 21st the Warren Tribune reported that Beckwith already had
45 homeruns for the season.
Hit three (3) homeruns off Rube Walberg in a post season game against
the Major League All Stars. This is the only documented occasion when
a Negro League player hit three homeruns off a Major League pitcher in
one exhibition game.
On April 17, 1929 The Charleston Gazette reported that Beckwith had hit
64 homeruns during the 1928 season.
The Charleston newspaper article also reported that 10 of Beckwith’s
homeruns during the 1928 season had cleared the left field fence at
Forbes Field in Pittsburg which was considered an amazing feat.
When the 1928 Eastern Colored League season was over Beckwith was recruited to play for the
Baltimore Black Sox in their four game exhibition series against the Major League All Stars. The
“white” squad was loaded with Major League stars that included: Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove,
Max Bishop and Ed Rommell. Beckwith was the hero of game two when he hit a home run to win
the game for the Black Sox. When the series had concluded, each team had won two games.
Beckwith was back with Homestead for their American Negro League season in 1929. According
to Negro League researcher John Holway when statistics from both “league” and “non league”
games were combined, Beckwith batted .443 and hit 15 homeruns for the 1929 season. One of
the highlights of Beckwith’s 1929 season came when the Homestead Grays played the Charleroi
Governors on April 28th. Beckwith hit three homeruns while going four for five as the Grays beat
the Governors by a score of 11-10 in a real slugfest.
Homestead Grays vs Charleroi Governors
Beckwith Blasts Three Homeruns
The Charleroi Mail
04-29-29
17
In twenty-five “official” games in the 1929 American Negro League season that he played for the
Homestead Grays, John compiled the following statistics:
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
25
101
26
39
6
2
7
19
1
.386
.693
Beckwith joined the New York Lincoln Giants toward
the end of the 1929 American Negro League season and
helped them win the American Negro League title with a
record of 38-18 (.679). The New York Lincoln Giants were
managed by Pop Lloyd and were already loaded with talent
before John joined them. The Lincoln Giants had nine players
who hit over .300 for the season: Chino Smith (.464), John
Beckwith (.438), George Scales (.387), Pop Lloyd (.362),
Orville Riggins (.331), Elbert Melton (.329), Namon
Washington(.323), Julio Rojo (.315) and Charles Spearman
(.309).
Lincoln Giants vs Hilldale
Beckwith Blasts “Ruthian” Homerun
The Chester Times
Chester, Pa
09-02-29
Beckwith was back with the Baltimore Black Sox after the 1929 regular Negro League season
concluded. They played a series against the Baltimore Orioles of the International League. The
Orioles had bolstered their line-up with several members (Ed Rommel, Howard Ehmke, etc.) of
the Philadelphia Athletics who had just come from the World Series. During the series with the
Black Sox the Orioles were billed as the “All Stars” or “Major League All Stars.” The Black Sox
were loaded with Negro League talent. Their roster included: John Beckwith, Rap Dixon, Judy
Johnson, Scrip Lee, Oliver Marcelle, Chino Smith, Jud Wilson and Laymon Yokely. Box scores
for seven games have been found. Beckwith paced the Black Sox in the series with nine hits in
twenty-three at bats for a .391 batting average and a.696 slugging percentage. The Black Sox
dominated their “white” opponents, taking six games to one for the “All Stars.”
New York Lincoln Giants (1930)
(Beckwith - sixth from left)
18
There was no formal league in the East in 1930, but all the usual teams (New York Lincoln
Giants, Homestead Grays, Baltimore Black Sox, Hilldale, Cuban Stars and Brooklyn Royal
Giants) fielded squads for the 1930 season. Beckwith joined Chino Smith (.492), Clint Thomas
(.437) and Pop Lloyd (.434) to lead the Lincoln Giants to the best record of all the teams that
played in the East. With three other .400 hitters in the New York line-up, Beckwith was not to be
outdone as he finished the season with a .452 batting average and a slugging percentage of .781.
Beckwith’s 1930 season was limited because he spent several weeks during the summer on the
bench with a broken leg. He broke his leg sliding into second base in a game against East Orange
(NJ). Depending on the reference source, Beckwith’s statistics for the 1930 season vary greatly.
Larry Lester and Dick Clark report the following statistics for the Beckwith’s 1930 season:
Games
23
AB
73
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
23
33
5
2
5
20
3
.452
.781
The McMillan Baseball Encyclopedia which combines all games played reports the following
statistics for Beckwith’s 1930 season with the New York Lincoln Giants:
Games
50
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
200
-
96
10
3
19
-
0
.480
.845
Both sources do agree on one thing and that is that Beckwith had an outstanding season in 1930.
At the end of the 1930 season the New York Lincoln Giants met the Homestead Grays and agreed
to play an eleven game championship series. While the Lincoln Giants had a powerful line-up,
the Grays also had an amazing line-up that included: Oscar Charleston, Vic Harris, George
Scales, Judy Johnson, Smoky Joe Williams and Josh Gibson. Over 10,000 fans were on hand at
the doubleheader played in New York City to witness the Lincoln Giants beat the Grays 6-2 in
the opening game and the Grays take the second game by a score of 3-2. The Homestead Grays
closed out the series in ten games when they beat the Lincoln Giants 5-2 in the tenth game to give
them the championship series 6 games to 4 victories for New York.
A newspaper article that appeared in the November 22nd
issue of the Afro American reported that Beckwith was
going to manage the New York Lincoln Giants for the
1931 season. However for some unknown reason, this
did not take place and John started the 1931 season with
the Baltimore Black Sox. John had a very good year
with a .364 batting average, .736 slugging percentage,
11 homeruns and 30 RBIs in the 30 games he played for
Baltimore. At the end of the season, he also played for
the Hilldale club and the Newark Browns.
Baltimore Black Sox vs Hilldale
The Chester Times
Chester, PA
05-05-31
After the regular 1931 season was over, Hilldale played
a team of Major League all-stars that included Chick
Fullis, Bill Hennefield, Al Spoher and Freddy Heimach
in a five game series that started on October 3rd and
ended on October 15th.
Besides Beckwith, the Hilldale squad was loaded with the following Negro League stars: Phil
Cockrell, Rap Dixon, Martin Dihigo, Rev Canady, Fats Jenkins and Webster Mc Donald. The
first game of the series was played in Philadelphia and ended in a 6-5 victory for the Hilldale
club. Games one, three and five were played in Philadelphia and games two and four were played
in Fairview, New Jersey. Hilldale won the series with three victories against two defeats.
Beckwith paced Hilldale in hitting with five hits in ten plate appearances.
19
In 1932 Beckwith was the player-manager of the Newark Browns. The Browns were based in
Newark (NJ) and played in Cum Posey’s short lived East-West League. Newark struggled in
league play and had a 3-14 record when the league folded in late June. After the East-West
League folded, the Browns continued to play a barnstorming schedule for the rest of the season.
Beckwith played for James “Soldier Boy” Semler’s New York
Black Yankees in 1933 and 1934. The Black Yankees played
an independent schedule as Nat Strong (Negro League booking
agent based in New York City) booked games for them throughout
the Northeast. Even before adding Beckwith to the roster, the Black
Yankees were a very strong team. New York’s record for their 1932
barnstorming season was 147-28. In 1933 the Black Yankees were
supposed to join the National Association of Negro Baseball Clubs
that was being organized by Gus Greenlee. The league that was to
comprise the top black baseball clubs in the United States failed
to materialize, so the Black Yankees continued to play an independent
schedule for the 1933 baseball season. By all accounts, Beckwith had
a very productive season at the plate in 1933. His batting average
for the 1933 season is reported from .357 (Lester and Clark’s research)
to .391 (John Holway’s research).
John returned to the Negro National League at the end of the 1934
season when he joined the Newark Dodgers. In September of 1934,
he played for the New York Black Yankees in their benefit game for
the Charles Young American Legion Post. The game was played at
Yankee Stadium before a sold out crowd of 20,000 fans (5,000 fans
were denied admittance). One of the highlights of the 1934 season for
John was when he joined the Black Yankees to play against Dizzy
Dean and the Brooklyn Bushwicks in Hinchcliffe Stadium in Patterson,
New Jersey. Dizzy Dean had just pitched in the World Series for the
St. Louis Cardinals a few days before playing the Black Yankees.
Beckwith had a good game going one for three against Dean.
Black Yankees
vs
State Hospital Grays
07-25-33
John Beckwith closed out his Negro League
career in 1935 when he appeared in several
games for the Homestead Grays of the Negro
National League. Cum Posey, the owner of the
Grays, signed Beckwith to compensate for his
cross town rival the Pittsburg Crawfords having
Josh Gibson on their roster. The supposed
reason for John’s short tenure with the Grays
was another in a long history of financial
disputes with the Grays owner. Posey had
wanted Beckwith to catch for the Homestead
Grays. The disagreement started when John
showed up in full catching gear for a game and
demanded that Posey reimburse him for the cost
of the equipment. Story has it that Posey refused
and that quickly ended their baseball
relationship. Even though John would continue
to be very active in baseball, he would never
return to the Negro National League.
20
California Winter League Career
After the 1927 Eastern Colored League season was over, Beckwith went to California to play
winter league ball with the Philadelphia Royal Giants in Joe Pirrone’s California Winter League.
Most of the California Winter League games were played in White Sox Park in Los Angeles. The
Royal Giants were owned by James P. White who had previously managed the Colored Giants in
the California Winter League in 1922. White put together an all star team of players from the
Negro Leagues to play for his 1927-28 Philadelphia Royal Giants team. Their starting line-up
included:
1B
2B
SS
3B
C
RF
CF
LF
P
Player
Negro League Team (1927)
Tank Carr
Frank Warfield
Jake Stephens
John Beckwith
Biz Mackey
Jess Hubbard
Clint Thomas
Rap Dixon
Bill Holland
Hilldale Daisies
Hilldale Daisies
Hilldale Daisies
Harrisburg Giants
Hilldale Daisies
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
Hilldale Daisies
Harrisburg Giants
New York Lincoln Giants
The California Winter League for the 1927-28 winter league season also included the Cleveland
Stars, Pirrone’s All Stars and Orange County (Anaheim-Fullerton-Santa Anna). The roster for the
Cleveland Stars was also made up of all Negro League players. The Cleveland Stars team
included: Newt Allen, Andy Cooper, Frank Duncan, Crush Holloway, Harold “Yellowhorse”
Morris, Dink Mothel, Turkey Stearnes and Willie Wells. Pirrrone’s All Stars included Major
League players: Fred Haney, Babe Herman, Bob Meusel, Emil “Irish” Meusel and Ping Bodie.
Even with all this stiff competition, the Philadelphia Royal Giants won the league championship
with a record of 19 wins, 11 losses and 2 ties. Jesse “Mountain” Hubbard of the Royal Giants
won the league batting championship with a .442 batting average. The Royal Giants also had
three other players who hit over .375 for the season. These players were: Biz Mackey (.385), Rap
Dixon (.380) and Tank Carr (.377). Bill Holland was the league’s best pitcher with 10 complete
games and a 7-3 record in 11 starts. Holland also pitched four shutouts during the season. John
Beckwith had a good winter league season, batting .310 with a .606 slugging percentage. John
also had five homeruns which placed him in second place for the league lead. Turkey Stearns of
the Cleveland Stars led the league with seven homeruns.
Beckwith returned to California to play winter league ball for the 1928-29 season. There were
three “white” teams (Pironne’s All Stars, Shell Oil and the White Kings) and only one black team
(Cleveland Giants) that played in the California Winter League for the 1928-29 season. The
strongest “white” team and number one competitor for the Cleveland Giants was Pirrone’s All
Stars. Bob Meusel (.375), Irish Meusel (.270), Smead Jolley (.446), Eddie Pick (.338) and Fred
Haney (.255) anchored the Pirrone’s All Stars. The White Kings were led by Hall of Fame
outfielder Earl Averill.
The Cleveland Giants were loaded with talent and dominated league play. The Giants had eight
players on their roster that batted over .300 for the season and three of these hit over .400.
Cleveland’s starting lineup and the player’s batting average for the 1928-29 California Winter
League season were:
Player
1B
2B
SS
3B
C
Biz Mackey
Connie Day
Newt Allen
John Beckwith
Neal Pullen
1928-29
Batting Average
.459
.261
.365
.485
.368
Player
RF
CF
LF
P
P
Dink Mothel
Turkey Stearnes
Rap Dixon
Chet Brewer
Bullet Joe Rogan
1928-29
Batting Average
.280
.372
.360
.406
21
Chet Brewer led the league in every pitching category: games (18), complete games (13), wins
(14), innings pitched (146), strikeouts (73) and shutouts (3). Besides his great hitting (4 homeruns
and .406 batting average), Bullet Joe Rogan also had an excellent season on the mound with a 9-1
record and 68 strikeouts (second in the league behind Brewer).
Cleveland Giants vs Shell Oil
California Winter League (1928-29)
Beckwith goes 3 for 4 with Two Homeruns
Even with all the great statistics of his Cleveland teammates, John Beckwith was the star and
Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the California Winter League for the 1928-29 season. Beckwith
led the league in homeruns with 14, led the league in slugging percentage with an amazing .991
slugging average, was second in the league in total base hits with 49 (just 2 behind teammate Biz
Mackey, who had 51 hits) and was second in the league behind Earl Averill of the White Kings
(.500) for the batting crown with a .485 batting average. It is important to note that Averill only
had 54 plate appearances as compared to 101 for Beckwith. Chances are that if Averill had played
as many games and had as many plate appearances as Beckwith, John might have won the league
batting crown also.
The Cleveland Giants easily won the California Winter League title with a record of 30 wins,
13 losses and 2 ties.
John Beckwith played two seasons in the California Winter League and compiled the following
statistics:
Games
46
AB
172
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
-
71
13
1
19
-
-
.413
.831
Beckwith finished his California Winter League career with the highest career batting average
(.413) and slugging percentage (.831) in league history.
The California Winter League gave John the opportunity to play against some of the top Major
League and Minor League ball players of the day. During his California Winter League career
with the Philadelphia Royal Giants and Cleveland Giants, John faced Major League pitchers in 18
games. In his 74 plate appearances against “white” Major League pitchers he collected 37 hits for
a .500 batting average and a slugging percentage of .919. He also had eight homeruns against
Major League pitching while playing in the California Winter League.
With all of Beckwith’s success in the California Winter League, it is a mystery as to why he
never returned for another season.
22
Assessing Beckwith’s Career
Even though the statistical analysis of Negro League researchers may have come up with
different numbers, all Negro League researchers agree that from 1921 to 1931 John Beckwith was
one of the most if not the most devastating hitter in Negro League baseball. Batting averages for
Beckwith differ between researchers because the number of box scores the different researchers
analyzed is not the same and some researchers include “non-league” games in their totals while
others only count “league” games.
A comparison of Beckwith’s batting average for the majority of his baseball career by six of the
leading Negro League researchers is as follows:
Committee
African
American
Baseball
.352
.359
.304
.371
.407
.370/.313
.343
.296
.393
.471
.364
MacMilan
Baseball
Encyclopedia
Baseball
Reference
John
Holway
James
Riley
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
Larry
Lester &
Dick
Clark
.378
.361
.304
.386
.407
.370/.330
.340
.320
.386/.438
.452
.364
.407
.302
.323
.403
.402
.361
.335
.380
.480
.348
.337
.354
.304
.362
.407
.343
.353
.333
.398
.452
.364
.355
.303
.330
.382
.406
.311
.362
.439/.464
.493
.350/.444
.419
.302
323
.402/.452
.402
.361
.335
.443
.480/.546
.347
Total
.345
.349
.356
.347
.352
.366
Year
Notes for interpreting the chart:
•
•
Where two batting averages are listed for one year on the chart this indicates Beckwith played for
two teams or in the case of 1924 and 1930 for Riley he reports “league” average and then John’s
batting average against all levels of competition.
It is important to note that Beckwith played professional baseball before 1921 and after 1931, but
only a very limited number of box scores have been found for these periods. It would not be
appropriate to make a value judgment on Beckwith’s hitting during these periods without more
complete box scores to come up with his “real” hitting numbers.
Some of the facts that need to be given serious consideration when evaluating John Beckwith’s
baseball career are as follows:
•
Over his Negro League career, Beckwith batted over .300 for eleven (11)
straight years from 1921 through the 1931 season.
•
During the years from 1921 through 1931, he only hit below .320 one time and
hit over .360 seven (7) times.
•
He hit over .400 for the entire Negro League season three times (1925 - .407,
1929 - .443 and 1930 - .452)
•
During his “prime” (1921 through the 1931 season) Beckwith had a “league”
batting average of .366 (655 hits in 1788 official at bats). His batting average
would undoubtedly be even higher if “non-league” games were counted.
23
Beckwith Dominated Major League Pitching
Research up to the time this book was published has identified 37 games and 126 at bats that John
Beckwith had against Major League All Star teams. Beckwith collected 48 hits in these 126 plate
appearances for a .381 batting average. Thirteen (13) of his hits were homeruns. John averaged a
homerun every 9.69 times at bats.
Baltimore Black Sox vs Major League All Stars
Baltimore Black Sox
vs
Major League All Stars
Beckwith goes 3 for 5
w/ Homerun
Afro American
11-02-29
Homestead vs A.L. All Stars
Beckwith goes 4 for 4
w/ 2 Homeruns and Double
Beckwith goes 2 for 4
Afro American
10-29-27
Afro American
10-09-26
24
•
He won a Negro League batting title in 1924,
finished first in the East in batting when there
was no formal league in 1930 and finished second
on three different occasions. He finished second to
Oscar Charleston twice and Chino Smith once.
•
In 1930 while playing for the New York Lincoln
Giants he reportedly hit .546 when both “league”
and “non-league” games were combined for a total
season batting average.
•
A large percentage of Beckwith’s career statistics
are still missing. He played a significantly greater
number of “non-league” games over his career than
“league” games and the vast majority of these are
not documented. Common sense would lead us to
believe that he should have had a significantly
higher batting average against this lower level of
competition. He also played a significant number
of ball games for independent teams. Box scores
from most of these games may never be uncovered.
So far 60 “non-league” games have been found.
John hit .491 with 30 homeruns in these games.
•
The Center for Negro League Baseball Research has
documented Beckwith with 952 hits in 2,583 plate
appearances. This calculates into a .369 career
batting average.
John Beckwith
Baltimore Black Sox
•
According to research conducted by John Holway for players with more than
2,000 at bats in the Negro Leagues, only Jud Wilson (.354) has a higher career
batting average than John Beckwith. Holway credits Beckwith with 767 hits in
2176 at bats for a .352 career batting average.
•
John Beckwith has a higher Negro League career batting average than all but
one of the Negro League players that have been elected into the National
Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Jud Wilson
John Beckwith
Josh Gibson
Bullet Joe Rogan
Mule Suttles
Oscar Charleston
Pop Lloyd
Cristobel Torriente
Buck Leonard
.354
.352
.351
.348
.341
.340
.337
.336
.335
Turkey Stearnes
Cool Pappa Bell
Willie Wells
Biz Mackey
Ben Taylor
Martin Dihigo
Judy Johnson
.332
.328
.328
.322
.321
.299
.285
(Statistics are from the research of John Holway and represent Negro League
players with more than 2,000 at bats.)
•
Of the top fourteen players with more than 2,000 at bats in the Negro Leagues,
only John Beckwith (.352) and Fats Jenkins (.337) have not been elected into
the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
25
Redland Field
Home of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati, Ohio
Schorling Park
Home of the Chicago American Giants
Chicago, Illinois
26
Without any doubt, Beckwith was one of the top hitters in Negro League baseball from the
1920’s through the early 1930’s. Even though Negro League researchers have different statistics,
they all agree that Beckwith hit between .345 and .366 for his Negro League career. Leading
Negro League researchers have revealed the following career hitting statistics for John Beckwith.
Researcher
Career At Bats
Larry Lester and
Dick Clark
Committee on AfricanAmerican Baseball
Career Hits
Career Batting
Average
1949
673
.345
1647
575
.349
John Holway
MacMillan Baseball
Encyclopedia
2176
767
.352
1739
637
.366
Baseball Reference
Center for Negro
League BB Research
1623
563
.347
2583
952
.369
In addition to his ability to hit for a high batting average, Beckwith also had devastating power
that few players black or white could match. Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe, who played against
Beckwith and all of the other great Negro League players, is quoted as having said the following
regarding Beckwith’s power with the bat:
“Nobody hit the ball any farther than him (Beckwith) – Josh Gibson or nobody else.”
It just wasn’t Negro League players or the black press that praised Beckwith’s hitting ability and
homerun power. The great Babe Ruth who is considered by many as the greatest player of all
time and the player other ball players are judged against played against Beckwith in exhibition
games in the 1920’s. In a newspaper interview given to Al Moses (Associated Negro Press) in
1933, Ruth had the following to say about Beckwith’s power at the plate:
“…not only can Beckwith hit the ball harder than any Negro ball player, but any man in
the world.”
Some examples of Beckwith’s power at the plate are:
•
He was the first player (black or white) to ever hit a homerun out of Redland
Field (home of the Cincinnati Reds). He accomplished this feat on May 21,
1921 while playing for the Chicago Giants. Beckwith’s homerun went out of
the ball park and over the roof of the laundry behind the stadium. The Chicago
Defender reported the history making event as follows:
“… an enormous clout. It cleared the left field wall by three feet and just
several feet east of the large clock.”
“Beckwith was given a great ovation by the fans, who literally went
frantic and showered money upon the 19 year old youth who was able to
perform the feat that veterans of the big show have been unable to do.
When he had counted his donations from the fans Beckwith found
himself about $ 25 richer. In recognition of the honor bestowed upon him
he attempted to loop one into the right field bleachers and missed doing
so by only a few feet.”
(Chicago Defender, 05-28-21)
27
Beckwith’s Power at the Plate
Beckwith Hits Homerun with One Hand
Baltimore Afro American
01-11-24
Beckwith Hits 64 Homeruns in 1928
The Charleston Gazette
Charleston, West Virginia
04-17-29
Beckwith Hits Three Homeruns off
Major Leaguer Rube Walberg
Indiana Evening Gazette
Indiana, PA
10-12-28
28
•
Beckwith was also the first player to hit a ball out of Schorling Park (home of
the Chicago American Giants) in Chicago. The homerun came in a game on
July 4, 1920 when the Chicago American Giants beat the Detroit Stars by a
score of 1-0.
“The Giants only score came in the fifth frame when Beckwith rammed
one of Cooper’s (Andy) deliveries over the left field fence, the first time
in the history of the park for a homerun.” (Not the first homerun, but the
first one over the left field fence and completely out of the ball park.)
(Chicago Defender, 07-08-22)
•
According to an article that appeared in the Baltimore Afro-American on
January 11, 1924, Beckwith hit a homerun with one hand. The background to
the event was that John had become annoyed with a remark made by a fellow
teammate while they were in the dugout. Beckwith grabbed his bat in one hand
and went to the plate to hit using only one arm. The rest is history; he hit the
second pitch over the left field fence.
•
Marshall Waters, bat boy for the 1927 Harrisburg Giants, reported that John
Beckwith hit more homeruns than Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in
1927.
•
Unconfirmed newspaper articles report that in 1927 John hit as many as 72
homeruns, 64 homeruns in 1928 and 60 homeruns in 1929 when his numbers
against “non-league” and “league” competition were combined.
•
On June 2, 1928 John hit five (5) homeruns in a double header versus the
Havana Red Sox. The doubleheader was played at Elks Park in Uniontown,
Pennsylvania.
•
In an exhibition game that was played in October of 1928 in Butler (PA)
between the Homestead Grays and a Major League All Star team, Beckwith hit
three homeruns off Philadelphia A’s pitching ace Rube Walberg. Behind
Beckwith’s hitting, the Grays won the game by a score of 12-10. In the
hundreds of games played between Negro Leaguers and Major League players,
this is believed to be the only time a Negro League player got three homeruns
off a Major League pitcher in the same game.
•
A newspaper article that appeared in The Warren Tribune on August 21, 1928
reported that Beckwith hit the longest homerun in the history of Forbes Field
(Pittsburgh, PA).
“Beckwith sent the ball soaring over the eleventh section of the wall
from the scoreboard, the ball traveling with much force and critics
declare it the longest ball that has ever been made at Forbes Field.”
(The Warren Tribune, 8-21-28)
•
On August 11, 1928 the Afro American newspaper reported that John
Beckwith hit the longest homerun ever hit at Forbes Field.
29
•
According to a newspaper article that appeared in The Charleston Gazette in
1929, Beckwith was credited with 64 homeruns for the 1928 season. Ten (10)
of these homeruns were said to have been hit over the left field fence at Forbes
Field.
“John Beckwith, the Babe Ruth of colored baseball, collected 64
homeruns last season, 10 of which were over the left field fence at
Forbes Field in Pittsburg.”
(The Charleston Gazette, 4-17-29)
Forbes Field
Pittsburgh, PA
•
Laymon Yokely pitched in the Negro Leagues from 1926 to 1944. When he
was asked about the longest homerun he had ever personally witnessed, he had
the following to say: “The longest homerun I ever saw. Beckwith hit it up in
Newark Stadium. It went through the smoke and out of sight.”
•
Perhaps Beckwith’s longest and hardest hit blast according to Hosely “Scrip”
Lee, who pitched against him in the Eastern Colored League, came at Griffith
Stadium in Washington, D.C. Lee described Beckwith’s homerun as going
over the left field bleachers and hitting an advertising sign that was 40 feet
above the fence and over 460 feet from home plate.
30
Baseball after the Negro Leagues
In the early 1930’s John married his second wife Dorothy. They settled in Harlem, New York.
This was an important factor in his career because from this time forward he never traveled far
from the New York area with the exception of 1935 when he spent a short time in Pittsburgh
playing for the Homestead Grays. When Beckwith decided to play primarily in the New York
City area, his playing options were very limited. He basically had four teams to choose from.
1. New York Black Yankees who were controlled by James Semler and was reputed to
be very cheap.
2. Newark Eagles who were owned and managed by Abe and Effa Manley. The
Manleys also had the reputation for being cheap and were overly controlling.
3. New York Cubans who hired as many Latin players as possible because they did not
have to pay them as much as American players.
4. Brooklyn Royal Giants who were a true co-op team that split the gate receipts with
the players. The Royal Giants also had another advantage in that they were not a
“league” team and therefore didn’t travel as much as the other Negro League teams.
When Beckwith’s Negro National League playing days were over, he continued to be very active
in baseball as a manager. Beckwith’s name was always a draw for a baseball game whether he
was playing or in the dugout as a manager. People always wanted to see the “legendary” John
Beckwith.
After his career as a player in the Negro Leagues ended,
Beckwith signed as the player-manager for the Brooklyn
Royal Giants. The Royal Giants were based in New
York City and played an independent schedule all over
the Northeast.
Beckwith still had an outstanding baseball reputation
and was a big draw for Brooklyn Royal Giants games.
Even though John was in his mid to late 30’s he could
still hit and continued to play for Brooklyn on a regular
basis. In a newspaper story reported in the Wisconsin
State Journal on July 26, 1938, it made the following
reference:
“Last season (1937) he (Beckwith) hit consecutively in
12 different games to turn the tide from the home club
and to score runs that eventually won out for his club.
Beckwith’s batting average for the past three seasons
that he has been with the Royals has been over .350. He
is known as the “Babe Ruth” of colored baseball.”
(Wisconsin State Journal, July 26, 1938)
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Broadside
(c. late 1930’s - early 1940’s)
31
From 1936 to 1939 Beckwith was the player-manager of the Brooklyn Royal Giants. One of his
star players with the Royal Giants during this period was future Negro League star Lyman
Bostock. Former Negro League players like Chester “Buck” Buchanan, Zack Clayton, Willie
Gisentaner, Otis Starks and Jesse “Nip” Winters also found a home with the Royal Giants.
Brooklyn Royal Giants
vs
Stroudsburg
Middletown Time Herald
Middletown, New York
06-12-37
In 1940 John left the Brooklyn Royal Giants and formed his own team called the Beckwith All
Stars. They played primarily in the New York City area. The team was also billed on numerous
occasions as the New York Stars. The main reason for him leaving the Royal Giants was that Bill
Leuschner gained control of the team from Nat Strong in 1940 and Leuschner hired Dick Lundy
to manage the club. Leuschner had a reputation for being very cheap and the Royal Giants’
change in financial policies didn’t set well with John. Beckwith’s team played under two different
names (Beckwith’s Stars and the New York Stars) but they were virtually the same team.
Beckwith went to work for Emerson Radio as a security guard in the early 1940’s. He also
coached the company’s baseball team in a local industrial league. When Emerson Radio was not
playing, Beckwith continued to coach and manage semipro teams in the New York City area.
In the mid to late 1940’s Beckwith rejuvenated the Brooklyn Royal Giants “name” and booked
games for the Royal Giants all around the New York City area. It is important to note that the
Brooklyn Royal Giants team that Beckwith managed in the late 1940’s was not the same team
that played in the Negro Leagues years before. Beckwith most likely used the team’s name
because the Royal Giants had name recognition in black baseball and would draw better crowds.
John Beckwith’s version of the Brooklyn Royal Giants was obviously fairly competitive based on
an article that appeared in the New Jersey Afro-American on July 5, 1947.
“The East Orange Baseball club is set for a double diamond attraction this week
end, beginning July 4 with the Brooklyn Royal Giants invading the East Orange
Oval against the locals at 3 p.m. John Beckwith, Giants manager, is now playing
his strongest team in recent years, with Chick Anderson and the two Spearman
brothers, Chollie and Clyde, who are clouting the ball at a .400 clip.”
(New Jersey Afro-American, 07-05-47)
According to former Negro League player Lionel Evelyn (New York Cubans, New York Black
Yankees and Indianapolis Clowns), Beckwith was his manager when he signed to play for the
Royal Giants in 1948. Evelyn played for Beckwith in 1948 and 1949 and became a close personal
friend. According to Lionel, Beckwith could still hit the ball when he was managing the Royal
32
Giants in 1948 and 1949. In an interview with Dr. Revel
of the Center for Negro League Baseball Research, Lionel
recounted one game that the Royal Giants were playing
against a knuckle ball pitcher who was getting everybody
out. A frustrated Beckwith inserted himself into the game
and immediately hit a hard line drive for a base hit. Evelyn
spoke highly of Beckwith as a friend and a manager. Lionel
did share with Dr. Revel that when Beckwith did have a
squabble with a player, it was always over money. Beckwith
even got Evelyn a job at Emerson Radio so that he could play
on their industrial league team.
John Beckwith passed away on January 4, 1956 of cancer in
Harlem, New York at the age of 56.
John Beckwith’s Death Notice
1956
Final Thoughts
Several researchers have presented John Beckwith in a less than favorable light. They have
referred to him as lazy, moody and hot-tempered with a severe drinking problem. It has also been
written that it was not uncommon for John to play in an inebriated condition.
While Beckwith may not have been the most disciplined or personable ball player of his day,
interviews with players who played with him, against him and for him reveal that people who
knew him did not share these same negative impressions. During the course of our research Al
“Cleffie” Fennar, Lionel Evelyn, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe and Jim Robinson were all
interviewed. Fennar played with and against Beckwith in the early 1930’s in the Negro Leagues.
Evelyn and Robinson both played for Beckwith when he managed the Brooklyn Royal Giants and
Emerson Radio’s industrial league team in 1948 and 1949. John Holway interviewed Ted
“Double Duty” Radcliffe and Turkey Stearns about Beckwith and both players revealed that they
thought that the bad attitude reputation and alleged negative personality traits were exaggerated
or as “Double Duty” Radcliffe put it, “it was a bum rap.”
From these researchers’ perspectives, we feel
that Beckwith has been unfairly slandered by
various sources. He obviously had a unique
personality but wasn’t a malcontent according to
people who knew him and played with, against
and for him. Without any question, he was a no
nonsense person who wouldn’t stand idly by if
someone was disrespecting him. He was
obviously respected by team owners and players
as his services were always in demand.
Beckwith was frequently named the captain of
his team and had a long career as a manager.
When analyzing John Beckwith’s career, the
facts speak for themselves. He was a great ball
player whose career has been sadly overlooked.
33
Chicago Giants (1920)
Negro National League
(John Beckwith - back row fourth from right)
Homestead Grays (1928)
Negro National League
(Beckwith - back row fourth from right)
34
Regular Season:
Playing Career
Year
Team
League
1916
1917
1917
1917
1917
1917
1918
1919
1919
1919
1920-1921
1922-1923
1924
1924-1926
1925
1926
1926
1926-1927
1927-1928
1928
1929
1929
1930
1931
1931
1931
1932
1932
1933-1934
1934
1934
1935
1936
1936-1939
1936-1939
1940-1942
1940-1942
1941
1941-1949
Montgomery Grey Sox
Havana Stars
Chicago Giants
Indianapolis ABC’s
All Nations
Jewell’s ABC’s
All Nations
Hughley Playground Stars
Chicago Giants
Chicago American Giants
Chicago Giants
Chicago American Giants
Homestead Grays
Baltimore Black Sox
Joe Green’s Chicago Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Hilldale
Harrisburg Giants
Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
Homestead Grays
New York Lincoln Giants
New York Lincoln Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Hilldale
Newark Browns
Newark Browns
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
New York Black Yankees
Newark Dodgers
New York Black Yankees
Homestead Grays
Palmer House Indians
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Crescents of White Plains
New York Stars
Beckwith’s Stars
Puerto Ricans
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
Negro National League
Negro National League
Independent
Eastern Colored League
Independent
Interstate Baseball League
Eastern Colored League
Eastern Colored League
Independent
Eastern Colored League
American Negro League
American Negro League
Independent
Independent
Independent
Independent
East-West League
Independent
Independent
Negro National League
Negro National League
Negro National League
Independent
Independent
Independent (same team as Royal Giants)
Independent (same team as Beckwith’s Stars)
Independent
Independent
Independent
Chicago Giants (1917)
35
Playing Career
Winter Leagues:
Year
Team
League
1920
1922
Chicago Giants
Chicago American Giants
1922
1923
1923
1923
1924
1924
1925
1925
1926
1926
1926
1927
1927
1927
1927-28
1928
1928
1928
1928-29
1929
1929
1929
1930
1930
1931
1931
1934
1934
1934
Chicago American Giants
Homestead Grays
Detroit Stars
Chicago American Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Harrisburg Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
San Jose
Hilldale
Homestead Grays
Harrisburg Giants
Homestead Grays
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Philadelphia Royal Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Homestead Grays
Baltimore Black Sox
Cleveland Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Baltimore Black Sox
Hilldale
New York Lincoln Giants
New York Lincoln Giants
Baltimore Black Sox
Hilldale
All Star Team
New York Black Yankees
New York Black Yankees
Barnstorming Tour - Western States
Negro League World Series vs
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants
Series vs Dickie Kerr’s All Stars
Game vs Major League All Stars
Series vs St. Louis Browns
Series vs Detroit Tigers
Doubleheader vs Philadelphia A’s
Exhibition Series
Post Season Barnstorming Tour
Cuban Winter League
Series vs Earle Mack’s All Stars
Game vs American League All Stars
Exhibition Series
Series vs Major League All Stars
Two Games vs Earle Mack’s All Stars
Game vs Mervin Jacobson’s White All Stars
California Winter League
Series vs Major League All Stars
Game vs American League All Stars
Game vs Fritz Maisel’s All Stars
California Winter League
Series vs International League All Stars
Fritz Maisel’s Major League All Stars
Post Season Barnstorming
Championship Series vs Homestead Grays
Game vs Major League All Stars
Games vs Big League and International Stars
Series vs Major League All Stars
New York Baseball Federation All Star Game
Game vs Dizzy Dean & Bushwicks
Charles Young Post American Legion Game
Managerial Career
Year
Team
League
1925
1927
1932
1936-1939
1936-1939
1940-1942
1940-1942
1942-1949
1948-1949
Baltimore Black Sox
Harrisburg Giants
Newark Browns
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Crescents of White Plains
Beckwith’s Stars
New York Stars
Brooklyn Royal Giants
Emerson Radio
Eastern Colored League
Eastern Colored League
East-West League
Independent
Independent (same team as Royal Giants)
Independent
Independent
Independent
Industrial League (New York)
36
Career Statistics – Hitting (Negro League Games)
Year
Team
1916
1917
1917
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1924
1925
1926
1926
1926
1927
1928
1929
Montgomery
Chicago
Indianapolis
Jewell’s
All Nations
Chicago Giants
Chicago Giants
Chicago Giants
Chicago
Chicago
Baltimore
Harrisburg
Baltimore
Baltimore
Harrisburg
Hilldale
Harrisburg
Homestead
Homestead
New York
New York
Baltimore
Hilldale
Newark
New York
New York
Newark
Homestead
Brooklyn
1930
1931
1931
1932
1933
1934
1934
1935
1938
Total
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
3
7
1
1
1
6
26
38
59
72
35
3
46
25
31
6
48
19
-
8
34
3
4
3
26
98
148
194
270
132
15
172
81
115
22
188
75
192
0
1
0
0
0
0
12
27
43
36
36
1
46
19
25
1
43
10
57
0
6
0
0
0
7
28
56
70
82
51
5
70
30
38
6
64
24
85
0
2
0
0
0
2
5
11
20
21
7
1
11
5
7
2
10
2
9
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
3
9
1
0
1
1
3
0
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
7
8
9
1
16
4
3
1
5
2
15
0
5
0
0
0
2
25
41
50
77
35
4
62
11
15
4
27
8
19
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
4
10
5
9
0
2
1
3
0
2
0
3
.000
.176
.000
.000
.000
.269
.286
.378
.361
.304
.386
.333
.407
.370
.330
.273
.340
.320
.443
23
30
1
10
7
9
1
3
1
73
110
1
27
28
17
3
8
4
23
26
0
4
2
2
0
0
-
33
40
1
8
10
4
0
1
3
5
6
0
2
1
1
0
0
1
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
-
5
11
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
20
30
0
3
5
2
0
0
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
-
512 2051
414
722
131
30
92
451
44
SLG
.000
.235
.000
.000
.000
.346
.367
.547
.603
.537
.659
.600
.762
.605
.522
.500
.495
.453
.745
.452
.781
.364
.736
1.000 1.000
.296
.481
.357 .500
.235
.294
.000
.000
.125
.125
.750 1.000
.352
.580
Career Statistics – Hitting (Negro League World Series Games)
Year
Team
1922
Chicago
Games
4
AB
16
Runs
-
Hits
4
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
-
-
-
-
-
.250
-
BA
SLG
Career Statistics – Hitting (Non League Games)
Year
Team
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
1917
1923
1924
1925
1925
1926
1926
1927
1927
1928
1929
1930
1931
1933
1938
Chicago Giants 2
Baltimore
2
Homestead
2
Baltimore
6
Chicago Giants 1
Harrisburg
3
Baltimore
4
Harrisburg
1
Homestead
1
Homestead
19
Homestead
5
New York
2
Baltimore
9
New York
1
Brooklyn
2
8
9
8
17
1
12
16
3
3
76
20
8
27
5
5
3
4
2
5
8
1
0
28
9
2
8
0
2
3
6
4
9
1
8
8
0
1
36
11
3
11
2
4
1
1
0
4
2
0
1
5
3
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
0
1
0
0
1
1
3
1
1
0
13
4
1
5
0
0
3
1
1
1
1
-
218
72
107
19
5
30
-
-
Total
60
.375
.500
.667 1.111
.500
.875
.529 1.294
1.000 4.000
.667 1.083
.500
.000
.000
.333
.666
.474 1.158
.550 1.300
.375
.750
.407 1.000
.400
.800
.800 1.000
.491
1.037
37
Box Scores
08-27-28
05-28-24
05-25-28
05-10-28
04-29-29
07-29-38
38
Career Statistics – Hitting (Exhibition Games vs Major Leaguers)
Year
Team
1922
1923
1923
1923
1924
1926
1926
1927
1927
1927
1928
1928
1929
1931
1934
Chicago
Detroit
Chicago
Homestead
Baltimore
Hilldale
Homestead
Homestead
Hilldale
Baltimore
Baltimore
Homestead
Baltimore
Hilldale
New York
Total
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
2
3
3
1
2
3
2
3
2
1
1
3
6
4
1
7
13
12
4
8
7
5
10
6
4
1
9
23
14
3
1
1
1
1
3
4
5
-
2
3
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
4
5
9
7
1
1
1
1
0
1
-
1
1
1
-
1
2
1
1
2
1
3
2
-
3
2
3
-
-
.286
.231
.167
.500
.375
.429
.600
.200
.333
1.000
.600
.391
.500
.333
.692
1.125
1.000
1.000
.833
2.500
2.400
.696
-
37
126
-
48
4
3
13
-
-
.381
-
Career Statistics – Hitting (California Winter League)
Year
Team
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
3B
HR
1927-28
1928-29
Philadelphia
Cleveland
19
27
71
101
-
22
49
4
9
1
0
5
14
Total
46
172
-
71
13
1
19
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
-
-
.310
.485
.606
.991
-
-
.413
.831
Career Hitting Statistics (Totals)
Games
AB
Runs
Hits
2B
Negro Leagues
512 2051
Negro League World Series
4
16
Non-League
60 218
California Winter League
46 172
Exhibition Games
37 126
414
72
-
722
4
107
71
48
131
19
13
4
30
5
1
3
92
30
19
13
451
-
44
4
-
.352 .580
.250
.491 1.037
.413 .831
.381
-
Total
486
952
167
39
154
451
48
.369
659 2583
3B
HR
RBI
SB
BA
SLG
-
Batting and League Leader Hitting Titles
Category
Year
League
Number
Batting
1924
1930
Eastern Colored League
East (No League)
.386
.452
Slugging Percentage
1924
1925
1928-29
1930
Eastern Colored League
Eastern Colored League
California Winter League
East (No League)
.659
.762
.991
.845
Base Hits
1930
East (No League)
96
Doubles
1923
Negro National League
21
Homeruns
1924
1925
1928-29
1930
1931
Eastern Colored League
Eastern Colored League
California Winter League
East (No League)
East (No League)
10
24
14
19
16
39
Newspaper Articles
Zanesville Signal
Zanesville, OH
07-12-28
Altoona Mirror
Altoona, PA
06-12-29
The Warren Tribune
Warren, Ohio
8-16-28
The New Castle News
New Castle, PA
06-06-28
40
Selected Career Highlights
•
Compiled a career batting average of .352 and a slugging percentage of .580 in
“league” games for his Negro League career.
•
Compiled a career batting average of .369 when the statistics of both “league”
and “non league” games are taken into consideration. (It is important to note
that a large portion of the box scores from Beckwith’s “non league” games
have still not been uncovered. John’s career batting average will most likely be
even higher when more “non league” games box scores are found.)
•
Compiled the highest career batting average (.413) and slugging percentage
(.831) in California Winter League baseball history.
•
Beckwith dominated Major League competition. In one hundred and twentysix (126) at bats against Major League pitchers, he collected forty-eight (48)
hits for a .381 batting average. Thirteen (13) of these hits were homeruns for an
average of one homerun for every 9.69 plate appearances.
•
Led the Eastern Colored League in 1924 with a batting average of .386 and led
East (No League) in 1930 with a batting average of .452.
•
Hit over .400 for the entire Negro League season three times in his career
(1925 - .407, 1929 - .443 and 1930 - .452).
•
Led the league in slugging percentage four different years: 1924 (.659), 1925
(.762), 1928-29 (.991) and 1930 (.781).
•
Led the league in homeruns on five different occasions: 1924 (10), 1925 (24),
1928-29 (14), 1930 (19) and 1931 (16).
•
Member of the Negro League World Champion Chicago American Giants in
1922.
•
First player to hit a baseball out of Redland Field (home of Cincinnati Reds)
and Schorling Park (home of Chicago American Giants).
•
Member of two California Winter League championship teams: Philadelphia
Royal Giants (1927-28) and Cleveland Giants (1928-29).
•
Believed to be the only Negro League player to hit three (3) homeruns off a
Major League pitcher. This feat was accomplished in Butler (Pennsylvania) in
1928 when John hit three (3) homeruns off Rube Walberg (Philadelphia
Athletics) who was pitching for a Major League All Stars team against the
Homestead Grays.
•
Member of the American Negro League (ANL) champions New York Lincoln
Giants team in 1929.
•
Selected to the 1929 Afro American Negro League All Star Team.
•
In 2006 was selected as one of the 39 finalists for consideration for induction in
the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Beckwith fell just short in the voting.
•
In his prime John Beckwith was one of the greatest power hitters in Negro
League baseball history. He was without question the greatest power hitter of
his day. He was the standard other hitters were measured against.
41
Chicago American Giants (1919)
Back row (left to right): Elwood “Bingo” De Moss, Leroy Grant, Dave Brown, Rube Foster,
Oscar Charleston and Richard Whitworth.
Middle row (left to right): Dave Malarcher, Bobby Williams, unknown and John Reese.
Front row (left to right): Unknown, Jimmie Lyons, Bill Francis, unknown and John Beckwith.
42