| The fastest man to ever play in the Negro
Leagues, James "Cool Papa" Bell routinely went from
first to third on sacrifice bunts, from 2nd to home on fly balls,
and scored from first on singles. An all around player, he had
tremendous bat control but hit with some power--averaging 29 doubles,
10 triples, and 10 homers a year. Over his 25 year career, Bell
batting for a .338 average in the Negro Leagues, .316 in Cuba,
and .376 in Mexico. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 1974. |
