The 10 Best Catchers In New York Yankees History
4. Elston Howard
Not only was Elston Howard the first African-American to play for the New York Yankees, he was the first African-American to win he American League MVP award in 1963.
In 13 seasons in New York Howard batted .279 and cranked 161 home runs but his leadership as a catcher is the reason Whitey Ford won 24 games and Jim Bouton won 21 in 1963.
In 1969, he returned to the Yankees as a coach, becoming the first black coach in team history. His death in 1980, caused by a heart ailment, presumably prevented him from becoming New York’s first black manager.
To this day, the Yankees have never had a black manager, but they did retire Howard’s Number 32 and give him a well-earned Plaque in Monument Park.
Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees and is the Editorial Director for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.
