Elston Howard

First black Yankee, AL MVP, and Gold Glove catcher.

Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1948 through 1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. A 12-time All-Star, he also played for the Kansas City Monarchs and the Boston Red Sox. Howard served on the Yankees' coaching staff from 1969 to 1979.

Quick Facts

Position: Catcher; Left fielder
Bats: Right
Born: 23 February 1929
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died: 14 December 1980
Place of death: Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: April 14

Lore & Background

In 1955, Howard was the first African American player on the Yankees roster, eight years after Jackie Robinson had broken MLB's color barrier in 1947. Howard was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1963 pennant winners after finishing third in the league in slugging average and fifth in home runs, becoming the first black player in AL history to win the honor. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964, in the latter season setting AL records for putouts and total chances in a season. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 as a catcher was a major league record from 1967 to 1973, and he retired among the AL career leaders in putouts (7th, 6,447) and total chances (9th, 6,977).

Reader's Guide

Howard played in 9 World Series, all with the New York Yankees (1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964). He did not appear in the 1967 World Series. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 as a catcher was a major league record from the end of his career in 1968 until broken later.