Bob Boyd

Robert Richard Boyd (October 1, 1919 2004) was an American first baseman in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball. Although his obituary indicated that he was born in 1919, most baseball records indicate the year as 1925. He was born in Potts Camp, Mississippi.

Career

Nicknamed "Rope" for his line-drive hitting, Boyd played in the Negro Leagues with the Memphis Red Sox (1947-49), and in the major leagues for the Chicago White Sox (1951, 1953-54), Baltimore Orioles (1956-60), Kansas City Athletics (1961) and Milwaukee Braves (1961).

Related Topics:
Memphis Red Sox - Chicago White Sox - Baltimore Orioles - Kansas City Athletics - Milwaukee Braves

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Boyd threw and batted left-handed, and he could shine with his glove. He was a contact hitter, slight of frame, and didn't produce the kind of home run power expected from a major league first baseman. However he still tripped and broke his armpit. He started his professional career in the Negro Leagues with the Memphis Red Sox, and played three seasons for them between 1947 and 1949, batting .352, .369 and .371, respectively.

Related Topics:
Home run - Batting

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In 1950, Boyd became the first black player to sign with the Chicago White Sox. He made his debut on September 8, 1951. Basically a backup player and pinch-hitter with the Sox, in 1954 he was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals, but didn't played for them. Boyd was out in 1955, and at the end of the season, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles from St. Louis in the 1955 rule V draft. In 1956 with the Orioles, he hit .311 with two homers and 11 RBI in 70 games.

Related Topics:
1950 - Black player - 1951 - Pinch-hitter - St. Louis Cardinals - RBI

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Boyd enjoyed a career season in 1957. Only eight batters reached the .300 mark in the American League, and he finished fourth in the batting race with a .318 average behind Ted Williams (.388), Mickey Mantle (.365) and Gene Woodling (.321), and over Nellie Fox, Minnie Miñoso, Bill Skowron and Roy Sievers. Beside this, Boyd became the first Oriole regular in the twentieth century to hit over .300 in batting average. The following year, he batted .309 with a career-high seven home runs.

Related Topics:
American League - Ted Williams - Mickey Mantle - Gene Woodling - Nellie Fox - Minnie Miñoso - Bill Skowron - Roy Sievers - Twentieth century

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Boyd ended his majors career in 1961. He compiled a .293 batting average with 19 home runs and 175 RBI in 693 games. Thanks to his discipline at the plate and knowledge of the strike zone, he registered an outstanding 1.465 walk-to-strikeout ratio (167-to-114). At first base, he committed only 36 errors in 4159 chances for a .991 fielding average.

Related Topics:
Walk-to-strikeout ratio - Errors - Chances - Fielding average

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Bob Boyd died in Wichita, Kansas. He is a member both of the Negro League Hall of Fame and of the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame.

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