The City of Anderson salutes Benjamin H. “Ben” Taylor
Born in 1888, Ben Taylor was considered the best first baseman in African American baseball in the early days of the game. Taylor was one of the most productive offensive players in history, ending his career with a .334 lifetime batting average. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 as part of the first Hall of Fame class of 19 players from the formerly excluded Negro Leagues. Ben’s Career spanned almost four decades, serving most of those years as a premier first baseman and successful manager. Taylor starred for a number of teams in the pre-Negro Leagues and moved around the various leagues and teams. Taylor’s execution of the hit-and-run became known as “Old Reliable” for both his clutch hitting and his outstanding defensive play at first base. According to the Chicago Defender, in 1935, Taylor was described as “a man who has inspired, trained and led baseball teams for many years” and having “one of the keenest minds in all of baseball and knows the game from all angles”.
To learn more about this great African American baseball hero, visit the Anderson County Museum at 202 East Greenville Street in Anderson.
Additional Credit: https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/taylor-ben
