Pete Hill is another Negro League player who doesn’t show up will with his stats. That is just due to mistiming on his part and the players in the same situation above them. They were born at the wrong time to have their prime years in the Major Leagues. Pete Hill was 37 when his MLB record shows up. He played years with missing a year, yet his on base percentage is over. 400. Imagine if he would have played in his prime.
He still gets respect on the All-time All-Star Teams for the Negro Leagues. Bill James compared him to Sam Crawford, except he was fast despite being bowlegged.
In 1906 he faced hall of famers Eddie Plank and Rube Waddell in two barnstorming games. Hill had 3 hits in the 2 games. They must have been trying as the team as a whole got 7 hits. Records show he had an OPS plus of 217 in 31 career games against white major league teams. That means he was a little more than twice the hitter as the other players in the two games. Even with a small sample size that was impressive.
Pete Hill worked closely with Rube Foster who was a great pitcher and a pioneer on the business side of Negro League baseball. Hill took over the team when Foster was away on business. Hill was known to be quiet and modest. He was a family man with a wife and son.
He may have been quiet man but spoke loudly with his bat and deserves his spot in the Hall of Fame.
