Andrew H. "Jap" Payne (December 6, 1879 – August 22, 1942) was an American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

. He played multiple positions, including

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

and

infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...

Biography

Standing at , Payne was described as "unimposing," but he became known for slapping line drives past infielders, as well as having an excellent arm. Payne was rumored to have gotten the nickname "Jap" due to his slanted eyes. In August, 1907, Payne lost his temper and attacked an umpire, causing a near-riot, and his language occasionally forced umpires to throw him out of games. Sportswriter and fellow player Jimmy Smith put Payne on his 1909 "All American Team.""The Base Ball Spirit In The East." Indianapolis Freeman, Indianapolis, Indiana, Saturday, December 25, 1909, Page 7, Columns 1 and 2
/ref> Prior to the 1930 season, pitcher

Dizzy Dismukes William "Dizzy" Dismukes (March 15, 1890 – June 30, 1961) was an American pitcher and manager in Negro league baseball and during the pre-Negro league years. Career Dismukes was a right-handed submariner, who is considered by many historians t ...

included Payne in his list of nine greatest all-time outfielders and wrote:

In 1953, future Hall of Famer Pop Lloyd named Payne as the right fielder on his all-time team.

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1879 births 1942 deaths Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Washington, D.C. Brooklyn Royal Giants players Chicago American Giants players Cuban X-Giants players Leland Giants players Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York players Philadelphia Giants players 20th-century African-American people {{Negro-league-baseball-outfielder-stub