1907
Born June 3, 1907
New Orleans, LA, USA
Ameal Brooks Marquee
b. June 3, 1907 · Chicago American Giants 1929, 1932, Columbus Blue Birds 1933, Homestead Grays 1933, 1941, Cleveland Red Sox 1934, Philadelphia Stars 1934, New York Black Yankees 1935–1936, 1938–1939, 1946, New York Cubans 1936, 1942–1945, Newark Eagles 1947
Ameal Brooks caught in the Negro Leagues through the 1930s and into the war years, and was chosen for East-West All-Star games in 1943 and 1944, when many of the leagues' better players were serving in the military and the rosters turned over sharply.
He batted left-handed, which was unusual for a catcher then and remains so now, and he spent stretches in the outfield as well. Across eighteen seasons he appeared for the Chicago American Giants, the Homestead Grays, the Philadelphia Stars, the New York Black Yankees, the New York Cubans and the Newark Eagles, catching for the Cubans through the war years.
Born in New Orleans in 1907, Brooks batted .261 with 172 hits and 14 home runs across the 211 games for which box scores survive. His death came in November 1971.
Honors
| Award | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Negro Leagues East-West Classic | 2 | 1943, 1944 |
Batting, season by season
| Year | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | CAG | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
| 1932 | CAG | 11 | 32 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .281 |
| 1933 | CBB/HG | 24 | 94 | 14 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 3 | .287 |
| 1934 | CRS/PS | 27 | 78 | 10 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .218 |
| 1935* | NBY | 2 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .700 |
| 1936 | NBY/NYC | 12 | 36 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .278 |
| 1938 | NBY | 8 | 29 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .276 |
| 1939 | NBY | 25 | 71 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | .268 |
| 1941 | HG | 11 | 38 | 9 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .368 |
| 1942 | NYC | 19 | 55 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | .182 |
| 1943 | NYC | 34 | 117 | 25 | 32 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 0 | 1 | .274 |
| 1944 | NYC | 24 | 68 | 7 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 1 | .176 |
| 1945 | NYC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| 1946 | NBY | 7 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
| 1947 | NE | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Major leagues | — | 209 | 650 | 108 | 165 | 27 | 10 | 14 | 95 | 71 | 9 | 9 | .254 |
| All seasons | — | 211 | 660 | 113 | 172 | 28 | 10 | 14 | 100 | 72 | 9 | 9 | .261 |
Seasons outside MLB's recognized major leagues appear in All seasons, but not in Major leagues or the leaderboards. For Ameal Brooks, that is 1935–1935. Why totals can differ.
On this day & linked events
1971