Boston ‘s answer to Jackie
Baseball fans love exciting players. Atlanta Braves fans loved seeing Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna Jr. running the bases, and according to his bio, Boston Braves fans loved Sam Jethroe from day one.
"Sam was slightly terrific in his Boston debutante party. There were no flowers, but he slashed a couple of singles that took the strain off the Braves followers, who have not been accustomed to seeing a Braves outfielder who could hit, throw and run."
Atlanta Braves fans understand that last sentence and empathize. One young Braves fan from that time recounted how fans felt about Jethroe
"“A wave of excitement rose from the stands when he stepped to the plate . . . he was our hometown answer to Jackie Robinson–a self-assured threat to steal one or more bases each time he reached first…Boos when he came to bat? Never. We just wanted to see Sammy run. . . . . . (even) The drunks (you’d see) raising their beer and toasting Sam as he was stealing second base. ‘Hey, Sam!!!"
As a 33-year old rookie in 1950, Jethroe batted .273/.338/.442/.780, good for a 109 OPS+. As fans expected, he led the league in stolen bases with 35 in 44 attempts (79.5%). Jethroe also hit 18 homers, 28 doubles, 8 triples, drove in 38 runs, and scored 100.
What about those dire predictions about his defensive play? The writers were wrong. Jethroe’s 17 outfield assists placed him second in the NL behind Carl Furillo and ahead of Snider. He also led the league in double plays with six.
Baseball writers recognized his strong performance by naming him NL Rookie of the Year and placing him #27 in MVP voting.
The Braves’ recognized a PR opportunity and held a Sam Jethroe Night on September 15. When they told him about it, Jethroe asked that instead of gifts, use the money to create a college scholarship for Negro youth.
"“That’s how the arrangement stands,” wrote Arthur Siegel, “and that’s why…Jethroe well rates the accolades of Boston sports enthusiasts” Boston Traveler, September 14, 1950."
He got a check, but they gave him a TV and other goodies too.
His 1952 season was better than his first. He batted .280/.356/.460/.816, posted a 125 OPS+, and once again hit 18 home runs and stole 35 in 40 attempts (87.5%). Errors continued to cause problems for Jethroe until he got his eyes checked and got glasses.
Charlie was more than Grimm
Jethroe required intestinal surgery early in 1952, returned weaker than usual and new manager Charlie Grimm didn’t hide his prejudice, openly calling his centerfielder “Sambo.”
Jethroe’s illness and the now hostile atmosphere made playing difficult, and being 35-years old didn’t help.
When the Braves moved to Milwaukee, they option Jethroe to the Toledo Sox on a 24-hour recall on April 13. Now healthy, Jethroe batted .309/.434/.560/.994, hit 28 homers, stole 27 bases, walked 106 times and had 168 hits.
The Braves had a new, 27-year old centerfielder named Bill Bruton, who they hoped be a star. Bruton was fast and stole a lot of bases, but he never produced like Jethroe.
In December of 1953, the Braves traded Jethroe to the Pirates.