Louis Santop
Encyclopedia
Louis Santop Loftin was an African-American baseball
catcher
in the Negro leagues
. He became "one of the earliest superstars" and "black baseball's first legitimate home-run slugger" (Riley), and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006
.
Santop was born in Tyler, Texas
. At age 19 he played for teams in Fort Worth, Texas
and Guthrie, Oklahoma
before joining the Philadelphia Giants
. In 1910, his only full season with Philadelphia, Santop and Dick Redding
formed a "kid battery", catcher and pitcher.(Riley)
An amazing .406
lifetime hitter, Santop would often hit long home run
s. In 1911, he hit an astonishing .470 and then, three years later, hit .455 for the Lincoln Stars. At this time, he was catching the two players considered the hardest throwing pitcher
s in the league: Smokey Joe Williams and "Cannonball" Dick Redding
.
After military service in the U.S. Navy in World War I
, Santop went on to have many more powerful years. After the war, he was the league's biggest drawing card and received $500 a month, one of the highest salaries paid, playing for the Hilldale Daisies. Hilldale won pennants from 1923–25, but an error in the 1924 Colored World Series
basically ended Santop's career.
With Hilldale leading a game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth with one out and the winning runs on base, Santop dropped a popup off the bat of Monarchs catcher Frank Duncan that would have been the second out. On the next pitch, Duncan delivered the game-winning hit. In addition to the embarrassment, Santop was berated by his manager, Frank Warfield, in a public, profanity-filled tirade. The following year, Biz Mackey
took over as starting catcher, and Santop was released by the team the next season. He also managed for some time.
The 6'4", 240-pound Santop was noted for his outlandishness and his confidence while playing. He was reported to have called home runs while in the batter's box. In a 1912 game, he was credited with a tape-measure 500-foot bomb - a remarkable feat in the dead-ball era. In another game, Santop was the recipient of a knockdown pitch from ex-New York Giant Jeff Tesreau
in an exhibition game. Both Tyler, Texas natives, Santop yelled to Tesreau, "You wouldn't throw at a hometown boy, would you?" The gentle giant could, however, become perturbed if provoked. On another occasion, he broke three of Oscar Charleston's ribs in an altercation.
While fairly accurate, almost none of Santop's seasons were fully documented, with the exception of 1924, while he was playing for Hilldale and batted .389.
In 14 exhibition games against white major leaguers, he hit .296.
Santop was a match for Josh Gibson
. Gibson was often called "The Black Babe Ruth", but he wasn't the first to bear that title. It was a Santop original. When Ruth and Santop faced each other in 1920, Ruth went 0-4, while Santop had 3 hits in 4 at bats.
He was rated by Rollo Wilson, described as the Grantland Rice
of black sports writers, as the first-string catcher on his all-time black baseball team.
Santop became a broadcaster and eventually a bartender in Philadelphia after retiring from the game, before falling ill and eventually dying in a Philadelphia naval hospital in 1942, at age 52.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
in the Negro leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
. He became "one of the earliest superstars" and "black baseball's first legitimate home-run slugger" (Riley), and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2006
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2006 proceeded in keeping with rules enacted in 2001, augmented by a special election; the result was the largest class of inductees in the Hall's history, including the first woman elected. The Baseball Writers Association of America held an election to...
.
Santop was born in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. At age 19 he played for teams in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
and Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
before joining the Philadelphia Giants
Philadelphia Giants
The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1916. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by Sol White, H. Walter Schlichter, and Harry Smith.- Founding...
. In 1910, his only full season with Philadelphia, Santop and Dick Redding
Dick Redding
Richard Redding , nicknamed "Cannonball", was an American pitcher, outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues, regarded as perhaps the fastest pitcher in the history of black baseball...
formed a "kid battery", catcher and pitcher.(Riley)
An amazing .406
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
lifetime hitter, Santop would often hit long home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. In 1911, he hit an astonishing .470 and then, three years later, hit .455 for the Lincoln Stars. At this time, he was catching the two players considered the hardest throwing pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s in the league: Smokey Joe Williams and "Cannonball" Dick Redding
Dick Redding
Richard Redding , nicknamed "Cannonball", was an American pitcher, outfielder and manager in baseball's Negro leagues, regarded as perhaps the fastest pitcher in the history of black baseball...
.
After military service in the U.S. Navy in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Santop went on to have many more powerful years. After the war, he was the league's biggest drawing card and received $500 a month, one of the highest salaries paid, playing for the Hilldale Daisies. Hilldale won pennants from 1923–25, but an error in the 1924 Colored World Series
1924 Colored World Series
The 1924 Colored World Series was a best-of-nine match-up between the Negro National League champion Kansas City Monarchs and the Eastern Colored League champion Hilldale. In a ten-game series, the Monarchs narrowly defeated Hilldale 5 games to 4, with one tie game. It was the first World Series...
basically ended Santop's career.
With Hilldale leading a game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth with one out and the winning runs on base, Santop dropped a popup off the bat of Monarchs catcher Frank Duncan that would have been the second out. On the next pitch, Duncan delivered the game-winning hit. In addition to the embarrassment, Santop was berated by his manager, Frank Warfield, in a public, profanity-filled tirade. The following year, Biz Mackey
Biz Mackey
James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
took over as starting catcher, and Santop was released by the team the next season. He also managed for some time.
The 6'4", 240-pound Santop was noted for his outlandishness and his confidence while playing. He was reported to have called home runs while in the batter's box. In a 1912 game, he was credited with a tape-measure 500-foot bomb - a remarkable feat in the dead-ball era. In another game, Santop was the recipient of a knockdown pitch from ex-New York Giant Jeff Tesreau
Jeff Tesreau
Charles Monroe "Jeff" Tesreau was an American Major League Baseball player.Tesreau initially signed with a minor league team of the St. Louis Browns in 1909. In , his contract was purchased by the New York Giants....
in an exhibition game. Both Tyler, Texas natives, Santop yelled to Tesreau, "You wouldn't throw at a hometown boy, would you?" The gentle giant could, however, become perturbed if provoked. On another occasion, he broke three of Oscar Charleston's ribs in an altercation.
While fairly accurate, almost none of Santop's seasons were fully documented, with the exception of 1924, while he was playing for Hilldale and batted .389.
In 14 exhibition games against white major leaguers, he hit .296.
Santop was a match for Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Joshua Gibson was an American catcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He played for the Homestead Grays from 1930 to 1931, moved to the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1932 to 1936, and returned to the Grays from 1937 to 1939 and 1942 to 1946...
. Gibson was often called "The Black Babe Ruth", but he wasn't the first to bear that title. It was a Santop original. When Ruth and Santop faced each other in 1920, Ruth went 0-4, while Santop had 3 hits in 4 at bats.
He was rated by Rollo Wilson, described as the Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
of black sports writers, as the first-string catcher on his all-time black baseball team.
Santop became a broadcaster and eventually a bartender in Philadelphia after retiring from the game, before falling ill and eventually dying in a Philadelphia naval hospital in 1942, at age 52.
External links
- 2006 Hall of Fame Inductee Bio: Louis Santop (video) – unknown content, URL confirmed 2010-04-16
- BlackBaseball.com