“I remember one time I got five hits and stole five bases, but none of it was written down because they forgot to bring the scorebook to the game that day,” Bell said. With an arsenal featuring curveballs, knuckleballs and screwballs that he could throw from three different release points, Bell was simply calm and cool out on the mound even amid stressful situations.One in particular stands out, in which he struck out Oscar Charleston, considered the greatest hitter in Negro Leagues history, to escape a jam. His achievements, in the Negro Leagues and in Latin America, earned his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 1974. Bell finished first in the Negro Leagues in steals twice, and finished in the top-5, seven other times.
While with the Stars, he played alongside close friend and shortstop While playing for Trujillo, the team members began to fear that losing might threaten their lives. Author Mark Ribowsky describes an experience with the team that was related to him by Crutchfield. He joined the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League two years later, and garnered his nickname as a pitcher. Bell’s speed was extraordinary; as Satchel Paige famously quipped, he was so fast he could fl ip a light switch and be in bed before the room got dark. Even the “fastest man in the world” in the 1930s, Jesse Owens, “If he bunts and it bounces twice, put it in your back pocket,” legendary catcher Negro Leagues statistics are incomplete, but according to • Bell retired from professional baseball at age 47 in 1950, playing out the remainder of his career for the Kansas City Stars, a farm club of the Kansas City Monarchs.
The second-place team featured several Negro league players, Cuban star Bell came back to the United States in 1942 to play for the Though statistics were not meticulously maintained for most of Bell's career, it is clear that he was known as one of the best players in Negro league baseball. But, I think it does a good job in making for some interesting comparisons. In fact, he may have been the fastest player in baseball history. By William “Brother” Rogers.
He played the next season split between the Detroit Wolves, Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs. Below, I listed the top-10 fastest negro leaguers of all-time and where they rank based on these two numbers:By an average ranking over the three categories Bell ranks second behind Charleston; which is another good sign for Cool Papa's speed, but not conclusive evidence that it was legendary. He died on March 7, 1991. He died on March 7, 1991. Happ hints Yankees purposefully barring him from hitting vesting optionHapp needs 10 starts this year for his $17 million 2021 option to vest.Morning Mound Visit: Kenta Maeda loses no-hitter in ninthIf only Eric Sogard could have hit the ball two feet lower. 1903-1991 Cool Papa Bell was a baseball player who was renowned for his speed and prowess on the field. For that reason, and others I still keep a picture of Paige on my desk, at school.Naturally in hopes of continuing this series, I figured I should write about the third best player next.Based on those lists, the options for the third greatest Negro League player of all-time seem to be:Charleston seems to be the prevailing favorite, especially since Bill James rates him higher than both Gibson and Paige. Even the “fastest man in the world” in the 1930s, Jesse Owens, “If he bunts and it bounces twice, put it in your back pocket,” legendary catcher Negro Leagues statistics are incomplete, but according to • Bell retired from professional baseball at age 47 in 1950, playing out the remainder of his career for the Kansas City Stars, a farm club of the Kansas City Monarchs. *denotes a member of Baseball's Hall-of-Fame. His manager at the time, Bill Gatewood, • Following an injury to his pitching arm, Bell moved to center field in 1924, a position well-suited for him with his great speed.
Cool Papa Bell was a talented athlete with exceptional speed and base running skills. Certainly, the stories of his speed are the stuff of legend. To learn more or opt-out, read our My interest in baseball started at a very young age.
He made his famous name in St. Louis. A time of 13.60 puts him slightly behind Maury Wills and ahead of Ty Cobb in recorded times circling the bases.53 Jesse Owens famously dodged Bell when Owens traveled with different teams and took on all comers.54 In 1933 Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Pirate great Paul Waner complimented Bell: “The fastest man I have ever seen on the baseball diamond was Cool Papa.”55 There is no official record of Negro League Baseball statistics. He became a scout for MLB’s St. Louis Browns for four years until the club moved to Baltimore, and then worked as a custodian and night security officer at the St. Louis City Hall until 1970. He played the next season split between the Detroit Wolves, Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to write about him.The player who always interested me the most, outside of Paige and Gibson, was an outfielder whose name does not appear among those five options.Hall-of-Famer Cool Papa Bell has always fascinated me, despite the fact that he does not even rank him as one of the top-two outfielders in Negro League history.Bell is a phenomenally interesting player,because of his legendary speed.So with Baseball-Reference's Negro League database, as my tool I decided to find out for myself, statistically, just how fast Cool Papa was.
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His manager at the time, Bill Gatewood, • Following an injury to his pitching arm, Bell moved to center field in 1924, a position well-suited for him with his great speed.