Sam "The Jet" Jethroe

Sam “The Jet” Jethroe was one of the fastest human beings he ever saw according to Don Newcombe. Jethroe began his career in the Negro Leagues with the Cincinnati/Cleveland Buckeyes where he hit .340, and won a pair of batting titles.

He was signed by the Boston Braves, and in 1950 became the first black player for the Braves. He would win Rookie of the Year honors for that season at age 33. He hit 18 home runs with 58 RBI, and stole 35 bases to lead the league.

In his career he would hit .261/.337/.418 with 49 home runs and 98 RBI. He won the NL stolen base title in 1950-51. His defense was his Achilles heel, and spent the 1953 season at Toledo before being traded to the Pirates. The Pirates would send him to Toronto, where he would spend five more seasons in minor league baseball before his career came to an end at age 41.