Henry Kimbro

Let's run through the rosters for the Washington baseball teams of 1937. We'll start with the Elite Giants lead-off hitter, Henry Kimbro. Kimbro was a 25 year old rookie from Nashville. There was no organized minor league system for the Negro Leagues so Kimbro came up to the Elite Giants through the type of informal scouting that characterized the league. He was spotted playing sandlot semi-pro ball by Thomas Wilson,the founder/owner of the Elite Giants franchise, and offered a chance to play for Wilson's team in 1936. He initially declined but after a stint with a barnstorming squad led by "Candy" Jim Taylor, he signed on with the Elite Giants 1937. ["Candy" Jim got limited action with the Washington Elite Giants in 1936 at the age of 52].

According to Seamheads, Kimbro put up strong numbers for the Elite Giants in 1937, finishing the season with a .297 average and a .825 OPS. These numbers include his play in two games for an assemblage of Negro National League All Stars managed by Biz Mackey. Kimbro would not post a better season until 1944 when he batted .376 for the Baltimore Elite Giants.

Chiefly batting lead-off, Kimbro was a

stocky speedster who earned his living slap-hitting baseballs between third base and shortstop or into the outfield gaps. . . . Kimbro was not known for power, but his 5-foot-8 and 175- pound frame could generate quite a punch when he chose. He is one of the few players to ever launch a home run over the roof of Briggs Stadium in Detroit.

"Henry Kimbro" SABR Biography Project by Chris Rainey.

In her memoir of her father, Harriet Kimbro-Hamilton describes how a young Henry Kimbro dealt with racist bullying by the sons of his employer

First he got a ladder and set it across a stack of several tires, and then he would swing across the ladder to build up his arm strength. To build up his legs, he used old ropes to jump rope. On top of that, he did exercises like pushups and jumping jacks and the like. I asked him if that worked, and he smiled and said, "Oh yeah, that worked." Apparently it worked well. He whipped both of those brothers, and they left him alone after that.

Kimbro brought that determination and edginess to his baseball career. He was apparently not a well-loved player but he was respected. He would become one of the best outfielders in the Negro Leagues in the thirties and forties. His 1937 season in DC was a fine start to that career.