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ARTIE WILSON The Birmingham Black Barons' crack short-stop Artie Wilson was an ideal leadoff batter. A left-handed opposite field hitter, he notched averages of .346 in 1944 and .374 in 1945, finishing second to Sam Jethroe each time. The speedster was also an asset on the bases, finishing among the leaders in stolen bases each season. A superior defensive shortstop who was a master at the double play, he was generally regarded as the best shortstop in black baseball during the 40's. In his five years in the Negro American League (1944 - 48) he appeared in four East-West All-Star games, missing only the 1945 contest, and helped the Black Barons win three pennants (1943-44 and 1948). Unfortunately, the Black Barons lost the World Series to the Negro National League champion Homestead Grays in each instance. |
As a youngster, Wilson taught himself to hit with a rubber ball and broomstick, and as he got older, he would play with a ball made from wrapping thread around a golf ball. He bought his first uniform for $2.98, earning the money by shining shoes. At age sixteen he began attending school three days a week and working at the Acipico Pipe Company two days a week. While working there he lost his thumb in an accident. But he also honed his baseball skills playing semipro baseball with the company's team in the Birmingham Industrial League prior to signing with the Black Barons.
He left the Negro Leagues and made the transition to the major leagues with the New York Giants after the color barrier was lifted.
He settled in the Pacific Coast League and hit for averages of .316, .332, .336, .307, .293, and .263 for the years 1952-57, while leading the league in hits in (in 1952) and in triples in consecutive seasons (953 and 1954). But he never got another look at the big leagues. His best years came in Seattle, but he also played with Portland, Oakland, and Sacramento. After four years away from baseball, he returned to Portland in 1962, but the layoff was too much to overcome, and he finished the season with Kennewick in the Northwest League. After retiring with a .312 lifetime batting average in the minors, he opened a car dealership in Portland.
Courtesy of "The Biographical Encyclopedia of The Negro Baseball Leagues"
by James A. Riley
