Baseball History: 10 best players who never made the Majors
It is easy to imagine that the greatest players of all time all plied their trade in Major League Baseball. However, several great players never had that opportunity.
Typically, one thinks of Major League Baseball as having the highest level of competition in the world. The greatest of the great come to the majors, with a minuscule percentage of those players being considered Hall of Fame worthy. It is an exclusive fraternity with only a small percentage of the world’s population belonging.
And yet, some of the greatest players in the history of the game never played in the majors. In some cases, it was due to racism, where they were excluded from Major League Baseball due to the color of their skin. In other cases, it was because they played in another country, and were unable to take the trip to the States. Or, in the case of Jim Creighton, Major League Baseball just did not exist in his lifetime.
That should not take away from their accomplishments. Instead, one has to wonder what if they had the chance to be a part of the highest level of play. Would they still have found success? Given their stature amongst the greats of their time and leagues, chances are they would have.
Let us go through the annuls of baseball history, and look back at the ten greatest players to never appear in the majors.
Jim Creighton – Pitcher
Major League Baseball, at least in its earliest form, did not exist until 1870. Jim Creighton passed away in 1861 at just 21 years old, nine years before he would have had a chance to be a part of MLB history.
And yet, even in those early days, Creighton was a star. One of the best cricket players in the country, he was recruited to the diamond, becoming one of the early professional players. Even though he was only 18 years old, Creighton became one of the best players in New York City, which was one of the hotbeds for baseball at the time.
Creighton essentially put together in the 1860s the equivalent of Bob Gibson‘s 1968 campaign. At a time when teams routinely scored double digit runs, Creighton allowed only 7.2 runs per game in his career. Despite pitching underhand, as per the rules of the day, Creighton was able to fire the baseball with greater velocity than anyone else, and his rising fastball and slow curve changed the complexion of the game.
Unfortunately, right at the height of his popularity, Creighton was struck down. On October 14, 1862, after already hitting four doubles, Creighton homered. However, the force of his swing caused severe internal injuries, as Creighton himself said that he heard something snap. He began to suffer severe pain and bleeding, passing away four days later at his home from either a ruptured bladder or a ruptured abdominal hernia.
As Creighton would have been in his early 30s when the National Association, the first major league, began, he could have had a few solid years left. Unfortunately, Creighton was a comet across the sky of the early days of the game.
Joe Bauman – First Base
Before Barry Bonds came around, Joe Bauman was the single season home run leader in professional baseball.
It took a bit of time for Bauman to become the minor league legend he would be. He hit only three homers in 1941 as a part of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization before missing four seasons due to World War Two. However, when he returned, he came back with a vengeance, belting 48 homers in the West Texas-New Mexico League. He then signed with the Atlanta Braves, spending two seasons in their organization, yet only having one game at the AAA level.
After missing four more years, Bauman returned to professional baseball as a 30 year old in 1952. Playing in the independent Longhorn League, he became a legend with the Artesia Drillers, hitting a combined 103 homers in the two seasons he spent there. Moving on to the Roswell Rockets, Bauman put together a season for the ages. He produced a .400/.535/.916 batting line, belting 72 homers and driving in 224 runs. He also capped the season off in a fitting manner, hitting three homers in his final game.
Given the caliber of the leagues that Bauman played in, it is natural to be skeptical of his performance. However, he did hit 337 homers in nine season. His power was certainly legitimate. While it is questionable as to how well it would have translated to the majors, it seems incredible that he was never given a longer look in affiliated ball.
These days, the legend of Joe Bauman lives on with named in his honor, handed to the top home run hitter in the minors. That player also receives a check for $200 for each home run hit, which can be a solid bonus.
Eiji Sawamura – Pitcher
Of all the players on this list, Eiji Sawamura was one of the closest to being a major league player. He just had no interest in playing in the United States.
Sawamura first came to the attention of the majors during an exhibition game in Japan. As a 17 year old facing a team of MLB All Stars, he struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Gehringer, and Jimmie Foxx. Over his five innings, he allowed just one hit, a solo homer by Gehrig, as he took the loss. Later, he was part of a tour of the US, with his team winning 93 of the 102 games they played.
That performance earned the attention of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Connie Mack. Both teams attempted to sign him, but Sawamura refused. Hostilities towards the United States were at an all time high back then, and he stated that he just could not force himself to like Americans.
Back in Japan, he became one of the early stars in early days of what would become Nippon Pro Baseball. He threw the first no hitter in the history of professional Japanese baseball in 1936, and added another no hitter the following year. Despite ruining his shoulder during his mandatory military service, Sawamura threw a third no hitter in 1940, cementing his legacy.
He would not get the chance to add to his legacy. As World War Two escalated, and Japan attempted to hold on to their territories in the Pacific, Sawamura was recalled to active duty. On December 2, 1944, his transport ship was sunk off the coast of Taiwan, as he passed away at 27 years old.
Sawamura is remembered today, as the Japanese version of the Cy Young award was named in his honor. He was posthumously inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 1959. Even today, his legacy lives on amongst the great pitchers that the island nation has produced.
One has to wonder what would have happened had Eiji Sawamura had been a part of a different political climate. Had those tensions between Japan and America not existed, he could have been the first Japanese player to pitch in the majors, beating Masanori Murakami by over two decades.
Hector Espino – Outfield/First Base
Considered the Babe Ruth of Mexico, Hector Espino was a tremendous power hitter who had a brief taste of minor league ball in the United States.
It did not take long for Espino to make an impact. He was the 1962 Rookie of the Year, and won back to back MVP awards in the Mexican Pacific League during winter ball. In 1964, he won the batting title with a .371/.479/.741 batting line, while setting a record with 46 homers. That performance drew the attention of the St. Louis Cardinals, who gave him a contract for the rest of 1964.
Although he did not flash the same power, Espino was solid for the AAA Jacksonville Suns. He produced a .300/.388/.450 batting line, hitting three homers and six doubles in 32 games. That performance earned Espino an invitation to Spring Training by the Cardinals, but he never played outside the Mexican League again. Varying reasons, from homesickness to his having to deal with rampant racism, were given from different sources as to why he stayed away.
Given his production in the Mexican League, it was certainly a major loss for the Cardinals. During his 25 year career in Mexico, Espino hit 484 homers and had 2754 hits. He won 12 batting titles, six home run titles, and was a six time MVP. Even more impressively, these numbers were produced in what was a dead ball era in Mexico, as offensive numbers would increase after Espino’s retirement.
Had circumstances been different, and Hector Espino not faced the racism or difficulties he had in 1964, he could have been a star in the United States. Instead, he became the greatest player in the history of the Mexican League.
George Washington Stovey – Pitcher
Fleet Walker, and his brother Welday Walker, are remembered as the last black players in Major League Baseball until Jackie Robinson shattered the color barrier. George Washington Stovey nearly made the majors shortly after the Walker Brothers.
Stovey was a dominant pitcher in the Eastern League in 1886, with his 16-15 record belying an excellent 1.13 ERA and a 0.858 WHiP. Paired with Fleet Walker, Stovey formed the first all black battery in organized baseball history. He was set to face the Chicago White Stockings in an exhibition that year, but was kept from playing by notorious racist Cap Anson, the same person who ended the Walker Brothers’ major league careers.
Anson would rear his ugly head again the following year. Impressed with his performance for the Jersey City Jerseys, the New York Giants inked Stovey to a contract. Anson again refused to play on the same field as Stovey, and as he was the game’s biggest star, the Giants acquiesced. Stovey never appeared in the majors.
He ended up playing the International League, winning 34 games for the Newark Little Giants. Unfortunately, he once again faced that same racism, as the league’s owners voted 6-4 against offering black players contracts in the future. With the Negro Leagues not really flourishing at that time, Stovey had few chances to showcase his ability.
George Washington Stovey is considered the greatest African-American pitcher in the 19th century. Had someone been willing to stand up to Cap Anson, he could have kept the color barrier from coming to the majors.