Buck Leonard (Player Profile)

BUCK LEONARD (First Base)

Walter Fenner Leonard

Nickname: "Buck"

Career: 1933 - 1950

Teams

Brooklyn Royal Giants (1933)

Homestead Grays (34'-50')

Mexican League (51'-55')
Minor Leagues (1953)

Bats: Left / Throws: Left

Height: 5'10"     Weight: 185

Born: Sept 8, 1907 -- Rocky Mount, NC

Died: November 27, 1997 -- Rocky Mount, NC

Inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame (1972)

Lifetime Batting Avg: .341

vs. Majors (Exhibitions): .382

APBA Affiliations: Negro STARS Team (Barnstorming Tour)

• Left-Handed part of the power tandem with Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays for 9 consecutive Negro National League Championships (1937 - 1945).

• Seasonal Averages from 1939 - 1945: .363, .372, .275, .265, .327, .290 & .375.

• Smart, team player with smooth swing and smooth fielding. Considered the greatest Negro League First Baseman ever, many called him the "black Lou Gehrig".

• In 1952, GM Bill Veeck (of the St.Louis Browns) asked if Leonard would like to play for the Browns, Leonard turned him down feeling that he was past his prime.

• 1953: At age 48, Leonard batted .312 with 13 HR's in 62 games (Central Mexican League).

• Ranked #65 overall of all baseball players ever, in Bill James' "The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract" (2001).