It’s
been some time since I added to my “Negro League Legends” series, so
today I’ll post a card for legend and Hall of Fame first and third
baseman Jud Wilson:
Wilson put in 23 seasons in the Negro Leagues, as one of the most
powerful and fiery players of his day, and finished his incredible
career with a .351 batting average, the fifth highest in league history.
He topped .300 sixteen season, including four of over .400, while also
going on to bat a combined .372 over six Cuban Winter League campaigns.
Against Major League pitchers in two seasons of the California Winter
League, Wilson hit .469 and .385, including hits off of future Hall of
Famer Lefty Grove.
Stories of his temper abound, and are something to read about. It seems
no one wanted to mess with the short yet powerfully built player.
Players and umpires were at the wrong end of his wrath. Look it up, they
are unique anecdotes of a man’s competitive nature!
On July 30, 2006, Wilson was posthumously elected for the Hall of Fame,
joining his former teammates and contemporaries with his rightful place
in baseball history.
As I often state with a lot of these Negro League stars, please do
yourself a favor and look up their bio’s to really get a sense of the
player, the teams and the league’s. Some incredible stuff out there to
get acquainted with the history of the leagues for those who haven’t
done so already.