Chet White 1st BLACK baseball player..1880's...?

Question

How come if Chet White (played MLB) early 1880s was black (some thoght he was Indian-but he was BLACK) he played 4 yrs then why is Jackie Robinson considered the 1st Black player? Im guessing its because his last was White what do u think?

Answer 1

Moses Fleetwood Walker, whether the first black or not (I think he was, by the way) caused the color line to be made. He was a catcher with Baltimore in the early 1880s (1884 sticks in my mind, but I might be wrong, there) and was warming up the pitcher when no less a bigot than the Hall of Famer Cap Anson, owner, manager, star player of the National League Chicago White Sox (as they were known then) saw him and bellowed, "Hey, get that N----- off the field!" The Baltimore manager stuck up for his back up catcher and Moses played out the year, joined by his part time outfielder brother, Welday, later in the year. Anson at the winter meetings that year made sure the unwritten color line was instituted. (He's a Hall of Famer???) Jackie Robinson was originally credited with breaking the color line. People forgot about Moses Fleetwood and assumed Jackie was first. Whether is was Chet White or Moses Fleetwood Walker or someone else, Moses Fleetwood was the subject of the color line being drawn.

Answer 2

Most knowledgeable baseball people take care to say that Jackie Robinson was the first black player in the *modern era* of the game. Moses Walker (who played for Toledo in 1884) is generally considered to be the first black major leaguer, with his brother Welday being the 2nd (also with Toledo in 1884) and Robinson the 3rd. There were a few other guys with negligible careers who may have been black, but their exact identities are uncertain.

Where did you find the name Chet White? There's never been a major league player with that name.

Answer 3

"Fleetwood" Moses Walker was the 1st black man to play in MLB. The color barrier was draw unofficially sometime in the 1880's and was maintained until Robinson broke it by both sides; ***** league team owners didn't want to lose their money makers. Jackie is remembered because he was the first openly black man to play in the MLB, and helped open up the league to other people of color; I say openly because some believe that paler skinned blacks had been playing in the MLB all along hiding their race as Cuban or Indian.

Answer 4

I heard that Fleetwood Walker was the real first black player in the MLB, but Jackie Robinson is considered the first black player in the MLB because he did it during the "modern era" of baseball

Answer 5

I believe it's because in the 1880's, baseball wasn't as organized and proffessional as it was today. Jackie Robinson was the first player to play in the national league which we know today.

Answer 6

I thought that the first black player was Fleet Walker or his brother Welday (I think)

Early in the game you could get away with saying that some blacks were from Cuba, the Caribbeian, or as with the above Indian. It wasn't till after the turn the of century that baseball really slammed the door shut for about 50 years.

Answer 7

I don't know. I couldn't find any records of him online, maybe he played in the ***** leagues?

If not, its because in the 1880's the MLB wasn't around. The American Association was around I believe.

Answer 8

Also known as C.B. White --- played two professional games in 1883 for the Phillies --- one at SS, one at 3B. One AB, no hits.