Leicester Moody (May 14, 1917 – July 4, 1998) was an American
Negro league
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams 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 relativel ...
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
in the 1940s.
Playing career
Kansas City Monarchs
1944
Lee Moody first broke into the Negro Leagues in 1944 with the
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...
as an outfielder, hitting .267 in 106 league at bats.
1945
When the Monarchs' regular first baseman
Buck O'Neil
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was an American first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the fir ...
left the team to serve in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Moody was quickly moved to first base.
Moody appeared in 42 league games at his new position, hitting .331 with a .411 slugging percentage.
Hitting aside, he attracted attention for his strong defensive play in the infield, teaming up with rookie
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first Black American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the Baseball color line, ...
.
1946
Moody began the season in Kansas City, primarily as a backup middle infielder before moving to the
Birmingham Black Barons
The Birmingham Black Barons were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 until 1960, including 18 seasons recognized as Major League by Major League Baseball. They shared their home field of Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, wi ...
.
1947
The Monarchs brought Moody back again to battle with
Chico Renfroe for the starting shortstop job. He made only three appearances in a Monarchs uniform before moving to Birmingham again.
1948-1950
Moody returned to the Monarchs in 1948, joining them on a barnstorming tours but not appearing in any recorded league games.
In addition to barnstorming with the Monarchs, he was a member of the Kansas City Stars, a farm club of the Monarchs managed by
Cool Papa Bell
James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder and pitcher in Negro league baseball and the Mexican League from 1922 to 1946. He is considered to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the ga ...
.
Birmingham Black Barons
1946
Moody was acquired by the Black Barons midway through the 1946 season for additional depth in left field. He hit just .182 with Birmingham, though combined with his time on the Monarchs earlier in the season Moody is credited with a total .375 batting average in recorded league play.
1947
Following another brief trial with the Monarchs in early 1947, Moody joined the Black Barons for a second stint. In his last recorded season at the top level of the Negro Leagues, Moody hit .224 as the club's starting first baseman.
California Winter League
In 1946 Moody participated in the integrated
California Winter League
California Winter League is a former baseball winter league. It was the first integrated league in the 20th century as players from Major League Baseball and Negro league baseball played each other in training games. The league was in existence ...
as a member of
Chet Brewer
Chester Arthur Brewer (January 14, 1907 – March 26, 1990) was an American right-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs, and from 1957 to 1974 he scouted for the Pittsburgh ...
's Kansas City Royals.
Minor Leagues
Cairo Dodgers
In 1950, Moody played for the Class D
Cairo Dodgers of the
Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League, hitting .279 in 38 games.
Trois-Rivieres Royals
Now 34 years old, Moody moved up to Class C in 1951, hitting .242 in 60 games with the
Trois-Rivieres Royals.
Moody retired from baseball following the 1951 campaign.
Death and legacy
Lee Moody died in
Ferguson, Missouri
Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 18,527, and is predominantly Bla ...
in 1998 at age 81. He was inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993.
See also
References
External links
an
Seamheads* Lee Moody a
Negro League Baseball Players Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Lee
1917 births
1998 deaths
Birmingham Black Barons players
Kansas City Monarchs players
Cairo Dodgers players
Trois-Rivières Royals players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada