Bill Monroe

William S. Monroe (March 16, 1878 – March 16, 1915) was an American infielder in baseball's Negro leagues. He was also known by the nickname of "Money." During a 19-year career from 1896 to 1914, he played on many of the greatest teams in black baseball. He was a good hitter and slick fielding third base and second baseman who was compared to major league star Jimmy Collins. Monroe played all four infield positions, but spent his prime seasons at third base and second base.

Monroe was known for his showmanship, and entertained crowds with feats such as catching "Texas Leaguers" behind his back and kicking ground balls to make them bounce into his hands. In a 1952 Pittsburgh Courier newspaper poll to select the greatest Negro league ballplayers of history, Monroe was named as the third-team second baseman behind Jackie Robinson and Bingo DeMoss. He was one of 94 Negro league candidates initially recommended by the National Baseball Hall of Fame's screening committee for the 2006 Hall of Fame election by the Committee on African American Baseball, though he did not make the list of 39 names that ultimately appeared on the ballot.

Baseball career Monroe was born in Tennessee; his father was a minister. As a youth he developed a reputation throughout the South as an outstanding athlete and baseball player. By 1896 he was playing professionally, and in 1899 he joined the Chicago Unions as a shortstop.

In 1900–1901 Monroe played for the Cuban X-Giants—John Holway reports that he played second base, and Clark and Lester report that he played shortstop. From 1903 to 1905, he played for the Philadelphia Giants, which were perhaps the top team of that period. Clark and Lester show him playing shortstop in 1903 and 1904, and third base in 1905, while Holway lists him at first base in 1903, shortstop in 1904, and utility in 1905. Statistics are scarce during this period; Holway gives statistics for a 1903 playoff between the Philadelphia Giants and the Cuban X-Giants, where Monroe batted 3 for 11 (.273), which was the second highest average on his team. In a 3-game playoff with the X-Giants in 1904, Monroe went 0 for 7(.000), and in a 3-game playoff with the Brooklyn Royal Giants in 1905, he went 2 for 8 (.250). Philadelphia won the championships in 1904 and 1905. The following winter, he played 16 games and went 23 for 72 (.319) with two doubles and a triple (.375 slugging). Then, in the fall of 1908 the Royal Giants toured Cuba, playing against Habana and Almendares, the top teams in Cuba. Monroe played 15 games and went 13 for 56 (.232) with one triple and three walks. During the same tour, he participated in a series against the major league Cincinnati Reds. In two games he went 3 for 8 (.375) with three runs scored and one walk.

Sportswriter Harry Daniels named Monroe to his 1909 "All American Team" saying "the great, fastest man in base ball, and the most wonderful base runner for the past ten years; also strong at bat."

In 1911, Monroe moved to the Chicago American Giants, which were the preeminent team of that era and one of the great Negro league teams of all time. His first season, he played second base and hit cleanup behind Pete Hill. His obituary reported that Hall of Fame manager John McGraw had once said, "Monroe was the greatest infielder he had ever seen," but that he "could not use him on account of his color."