@DocTellMeMore His nicknames tell it all: "Ese Hombre" ("That man," bestowed on him by terrified pitchers in Puerto Rico) and "Home Run" (bestowed on him by Josh Gibson!)
#WillardBrown was a true badass...and the only man to keep pace with Ty Cobb when it comes to leading the league in hits in multiple seasons.
And who was the last guy you saw steal second base standing up?
His American League statistics – 21 games, a .179 batting average – tell the most incomplete story possible of the player who was Willard Brown. His Hall of Fame plaque, however, speaks volumes about the pioneer who was one of the Negro Leagues’ greatest power hitters. “He was the most natural ballplayer I ever saw,” said Negro Leagues legend Buck O’Neil. “He’d steal second base standing up. He was a great talent.”
Yusuf Toropov