Babe Ruth has long been considered the greatest player in baseball history, but some also argue that Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds and even Shohei Ohtani are among the best.
Now, there’s a new player joining this discussion: Hall of Fame catcher Josh Gibson.
Gibson’s statistics, and those of all former Negro League players, will now be officially incorporated into the Major League Baseball historical record.
It’s been three and a half years since MLB officially elevated Negro League statistics to “major league” status in December 2020.
Gibson, who spent his entire career in the Negro Leagues from 1930, 1933-40 and 1942-46, is now considered the greatest catcher of all time and possibly the greatest player of all time after an independent committee reviewed the official historical records.
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Gibson is the all-time MLB leader in batting average (.372, better than Ty Cobb), slugging percentage (.718, better than Ruth) and OPS (1.177, better than Ruth), and holds the single-season record in each category.
“When you hear the name Josh Gibson today, you get the impression that he was not only the best player in the Negro Leagues, but one of the best players of all time,” Gibson’s great-grandson, Shawn Gibson, told USA Today Sports. “That’s not just a Negro Leagues statistic. That’s a major league statistic.”
“This means a lot not only to Josh Gibson’s family but also to the 2,300 players in the Negro Leagues who never got a chance to play. [in the Major Leagues]” .
Major League Baseball was not racially integrated until 1947, when Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But now, for the first time, Negro League statistics from 1920 through 1948 have been incorporated into the official Major League Baseball statistics.
Gibson’s batting average of .446 with the Homestead Grays in 1943 became the highest batting average in MLB history, surpassing Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy (.440), who fell to third in 1894. Negro League star Charlie “Chino” Smith batted .451 with the New York Lincoln Giants in 1929 and is currently second.
Gibson’s slugging percentage of .974 in 1937 broke Bonds’ record of .863 in 2001. Bonds dropped from first to fifth place, being surpassed by Mule Suttles (.877), Gibson (.871, 1943) and Smith (.870, 1929).
Gibson’s OPS of 1.474 in 1937 and 1.435 in 1943 now rank second all-time in single seasons, surpassing Bonds’ 1.421 in 2004.
Gibson also moved into third place in career season on-base percentage (.564 in 1943), behind only Bonds’ .609 in 2004.
Gibson’s Hall of Fame plaque states that he hit nearly 800 home runs, but his actual total is 238, the most in Negro League history, because statisticians included exhibition and road games in his total.
“You hear a lot about the home runs, but when the stats come out it’s not so much about the home runs, it’s all about what a great all-around player he is. The numbers don’t lie,” Sean Gibson said.
Now that these new statistics are available proving Gibson’s greatness, Shawn Gibson would like the Baseball Writers Association to present the league’s Most Valuable Player award in Gibson’s honor.
The MVP award was once named after former MLB commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, but his name was removed from the plaque in 2020 after former MVP winners Barry Larkin, Terry Pendleton and Mike Schmidt expressed their displeasure. Landis served as MLB’s first commissioner from 1920 to 1944, and baseball did not integrate until three years after his death.
“How ironic that Josh Gibson will be taking the place of the man who denied over 2,300 players the opportunity to play in the major leagues,” Shawn Gibson said. “I am hopeful that this statistic will allow us to change this award to the Josh Gibson MVP Award. This statistic provides a fitting basis for naming this award in his honor.”
The combined statistics also bolster the numbers for several Hall of Fame players who played in the Negro Leagues, including Mays, Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, Satchel Paige, Monte Irvin, Roy Campanella, Willard Brown and Minnie Minoso.
Paige had the third-best season ERA of 1.01 with the Kansas City Monarchs in 1944 and his career win total jumped from 28 to 124.
Mays has 3,293 career hits since joining the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948, but that number could increase if his numbers from his time in the Negro Leagues in 1949 and 1950 are examined.
Robinson would go on to collect 49 more hits for a total of 1,567 hits since playing for the Kansas City Monarchs in 1945.
Minoso had 150 hits with the New York Cubans, bringing his career total to 2,113 and surpassing the 2,000 mark.
Other players who made the top 10 of MLB’s career rankings:
- batting average: Oscar Charleston (.363), Jud Wilson (.350), Turkey Stearns (.348) and Buck Leonard (.345).
- Slugging percentage: Muir Suttles (.621), Steanes (.616) and Charleston (.614).
- On-base percentage: Leonard (.452), Charleston (.449) and Wilson (.434).
- operation: Charleston (1.063), Leonard (1.042), Stearns (1.033), Suttles (1.031).
- Defensive Rating: In 8th place was Dave Brown (2.24 ERA).
“This is a great day for all the Negro League players,” Gibson said. “We’re very excited. We hope that one day we’ll have a National Negro Leagues Day where all MLB players wear Negro League uniforms.”
Gibson requested that the date be May 2 to commemorate the first Negro League game played there in 1920.
“I’m not denying the value of Jackie Robinson Day,” Gibson said, “but I wish we could celebrate all the Negro League players, not just one.”
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