candy jim taylor
February 1, 1884 – April 3, 1948
jim taylor
Candy James Taylor played and managed for over 12 professional black franchises. By the mid 1920s, he assumed a permanent managerial role of manager in the Negro Leagues. He spent a life time in black baseball, a career that spanned over 4o years. He was never inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.
James Allen "Candy Jim" Taylor was an American third baseman and manager in professional Negro League Baseball, playing in a career that spanned nearly 40 years, from humble beginnings as an infielder, and later transitioning to strictly manager, while playing on occasion.
Late into the 20th century, Candy Jim Taylor had worked for more than a dozen black baseball teams.
During the mid 1920s, Candy Jim mainly managed, however he would sometimes appear in a game, but doing so only as a pinch hitter. In his final appearance in the Negro leagues came at the age of 58.
In 1920, the same year of the start of the golden era of Negro League Baseball, Jim Taylor would take on the managerial responsibilities for a great deal of black baseball clubs.
Statistics are not recorded on Candy Jim’s playing career, however, we do know he amassed a total of 1,967 games managed over 40 years for twelve different teams.
However, he is described as one of the great baseball strategists of his era.
Taylor is the all-time winningest manager in the Negro Leagues history, having won a total of 955 games, along with 2 Negro League World Series titles and one additional pennant. His managerial career spanned 27 seasons in the Negro Leagues..
He has the most seasons managed by any African-American manager along with having the seventh most games won for a manager in major league baseball history.
Born in Anderson, South Carolina, Taylor was one of four brothers who played professional black baseball. Candy Jim played alongside Ben, C. I. and Steel Arm Johnny Taylor.
Candy Jim Taylor began playing ball playing career with an amateur club in Anderson, South Carolina in 1901, as a starting catcher.
He played with several different clubs between 1902 and 1903, finally landing a position with the Birmingham Giants in 1904 where he found a home playing third base for the team.
In 55 regular season games he played, he only made three errors. [8]
Jim Taylor then continued his career with the Birmingham Barons until 1909, later moving again, this time to the St. Paul Colored Gophers for part of the 1920 season, where he was named the captain of the team.
In 1910, he was asked to play for the Chicago Giants, but played instead chose to play for the West Baden Sprudels as a player/manager. He played and managed for the organization until around 1913.
In 1914, he signed with the prominent Indianapolis ABCs as a player/manager, and by 1916, he had helped the ABC's win the first Black Baseball World Championship.
During the period lasting from about the time of World War I, Taylor seemed to rotate between three teams, the Indianapolis ABCs, Dayton Marcos, and the Detroit Stars.
In 1918, a 34 year-old Taylor registered for the National Draft.
He listed his "current occupation" as a "Laborer" for the Penn Freight House at Dela and Georgia Street in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He didn't not list any dependents except for his closest relative, Charles Isaac Taylor.
When the newly formed Negro National League I started in 1920, Candy Jim worked as a player-manager for the Dayton Macros.
However, he quickly moved on to the Cleveland Tate Stars for the following season.
He also served as a vice chairman for the league during its tenure (his brother C.I. also served the league office in various roles and was a co-founder and vice president of the league). [6] [11]
As a coach, Jim was a disciplinarian and a master strategist.
As manager he led the St. Louis Stars to contention in the Negro National League I, which coincided with the decision to match first half and second half champions for a true Championship Series.
Starting in 1925 (his third and final season) his team won the second half of the season and won the right to be matched against the Kansas City Monarchs.
They subsequently lost that series 4-3.
Taylor then returned to St. Louis in 1927. He managed the team to their first championship in 1928, accomplishing the feat Rube Foster’s powerhouse Chicago American Giants 5-4 in the Championship Series. [13] [12]
Outside the game of baseball, the Great Depression took its toll, not only the economics of the game but began to also weigh heavily on society.
This made the economics of black baseball even more difficult to navigate.
While managing the 1933 Richmond All-Star team, Candy Jim Taylor was forced to make the decision to sell the team bus to raise the funds necessary to meet payroll and travel expenses.
Unable to raise the required remaining traveling expenses, he later had to make the decision to send the players home, ending the 1933 season for the team.
Later in 1943, Taylor took over as manager for the Homestead Grays for one season, taking over for the Grays previously led by player-manager, Vic Harris.
After having won the Negro National League title for the previous three seasons, the Homestead Grays were tasked with trying to win it for a fourth consecutive time.
This time however, would be for the right to advance to the newly created second incarnation of the Negro National League World Series.
They succeeded with Candy Jim managing the club, winning the pennant and the second ever Negro League World Series, for which they would repeat their success again the following year.
players
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charleston played and managed in the Negro Leagues as an outfielder, first baseman and pitcher. Charleston would later become manager of the Indianapolis Clowns.
Cool Papa Bell
Oscar Charelston
Oscar Charelston
Cool Papa Bell played centerfield in the Negro Leagues from 1922 to 1946. played for the powerhouse Kansas City. Monarchs, Pittsburgh Crawfords, and Homestead Grays.
Buck Leonard
Oscar Charelston
Satchel Paige
Buck Leonard, along side Josh Gibson formed the best three-four, hitting tandem in the History of the Negro Leagues, leading the Homestead Grays to dominance.
Satchel Paige
Cumberland Posey
Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige began his 20 year career in the Negro Leagues pitching for the Chattanooga Lookouts. He would later make his MLB debut at age 42 for the Cleveland Indians.
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Cum Posey was a veteran Negro Leagues team owner, player, and league executive. He is the founding member of two leagues, and a Hall of Fame Basketball player.
Jackie Robinson
Cumberland Posey
Cumberland Posey
Jackie Robinson is the first African American to play Major League Baseball. He broke baseball's color barrier in 1945, by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella played one season in the Negro Leagues, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers just one season after Jackie Robinson’s debut in Major League Baseball.
Gus Greenlee
Roy Campanella
Roy Campanella
Gus Greenlee was a driving force behind the organization of the Negro National League I. During his time involved with Negro Leagues he owned several profitable side businesses.
Henry AAron
Roy Campanella
Candy Jim Taylor
Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in home runs with 755, few know Aaron began his baseball career in the Negro Leagues as a shortstop for the Indianapolis Clowns.
Candy Jim Taylor
Cristóbal Torriente
Candy Jim Taylor
Candy Jim Taylor was a professional third baseman, manager, and brother of four professional playing Negro Leaguers. His career in baseball spanned over 40 years.
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente, often called the Babe Ruth of Cuba, played as an outfielder in the Negro Leagues from 1912-1932. He was most known for his incredible power to all fields.
Rube Foster
Cristóbal Torriente
Cristóbal Torriente
Considered one of the best pitchers of the early 1900s, and perhaps the most influential figure in Negro League history, Rube Foster founded the NNLI and managed the Chicago American Giants.
Larry Doby
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Larry Doby was the second African-American baseball player to break baseball's color barrier and the first black player to play in the American League.
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Even from the catcher position, Josh Gibson's display of power during his career for the Homestead Grays is legendary. However, Gibson would never play Major League Baseball.
Sol White
Josh Gibson
Ben Taylor
King Solomon "Sol" White played professionally baseball as an infielder, manager and team owner. White is considered to be one of the pioneers of the Negro Leagues.
Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor
Ben Taylor
Born in July 1888, Ben Taylor was the youngest of 4 professional Negro Leaguers, including Candy Jim Taylor, C.I. Taylor, and Johnny Steel Arm Taylor.
Biz Mackey
Ben Taylor
Biz Mackey
Biz Mackey was regarded as one of the Negro Leagues premier offensive and defensive catchers, playing across several leagues from late 1920s and early 1930s.
Nat Strong
Ben Taylor
Biz Mackey
Nathaniel Strong was a Negro Leagues sports executive, businessman, team owner and founding member of the Negro National League I,
Monte Irvin
TURKEY STEARNES
TURKEY STEARNES
Monte Irvin flourished as one of the early African-American players in MLB, making 2 World Series appearances for the New York Giants, playing along side Willie Mays.
TURKEY STEARNES
TURKEY STEARNES
TURKEY STEARNES
Norman Turkey Stearnes played professionally in the Negro Leagues, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Willie Mays
TURKEY STEARNES
Steel Arm Taylor
A can’t miss five-tool player, Mays began his professional baseball career with the Black Barons, spending the rest of his career playing MLB for the Giants and Mets.
Steel Arm Taylor
Steel Arm Taylor
Steel Arm Taylor
John Boyce Taylor was the second-oldest of 4 baseball-playing brothers, the others being Charles, Ben and James. For the 1899-1900 seasons, Taylor won 90% of his games starting pitcher for the Giants.
Buck O'Neil
Steel Arm Taylor
Martín Dihigo
Buck O’Neil joined the Memphis Red Sox for their inaugural season in the newly formed Negro American League. However, his contract was purchased by the Kansas City Monarchs the next season.
Martín Dihigo
Steel Arm Taylor
Martín Dihigo
Martin Dihigo Llanos also called The Immortal, was a Cuban professional baseball player, playing in the Negro Leagues and Mexican League from 1923 to 1936.