Wolter: Forgotten Negro Leagues great John Donaldson played in SW Minnesota

From Doug Wolter at the West Central Tribune on August 11, 2015, with mention of SABR member Peter Gorton:

John Wesley Donaldson might be the greatest African-American baseball player you never heard of.

According to some, in fact, he just might be the greatest baseball player of all time.

Baseball historian Peter Gorton, a former broadcast journalist presently working for a law firm based in Minneapolis, is the founder of “The Donaldson Network,” a group of more than 500 researchers, authors and historians devoted to the recovery of Donaldson’s career, much of it spent in Minnesota.

Gorton’s fascination with Donaldson’s career comes across as unstoppable as the great left-hander’s fastball.

Donaldson pitched from 1908 to 1940. He is known to have won at least 398 games and struck out at least 4,904 batters. He was extremely fast and possessed an excellent change-up at a time before the change-up was fashionable. He had a modern delivery before its time, Gorton said, “which gave him a huge advantage.” His exaggerated follow-through, generating power through his hips and legs, allowed for his long and successful career.

Read the full article here: http://www.wctrib.com/sports/pro/3815116-donaldson-greatest-baseball-player-ever-he-played-southwest-minnesota



Originally published: August 11, 2015. Last Updated: August 11, 2015.