I’m always hesitant to put cards from the Negro League sets up on Monster Card Monday due to their tendency to be better than real life. The highly esteemed Tom Zuppa who submitted this 1933 Joe Lillard card, admitted this card was overrated. But you have to admit, this card is pretty tasty.
As I’ve said before, it’s hard to judge these cards because stats from the Negro Leagues are so spotty. According to Baseball Reference’s page on Lillard, his 1933 stats from when he played for the Chicago American Giants are at least in the ballpark. In ‘33, Lillard batted .387 with two homers and a triple in 31 at-bats. As a pitcher, he was 4-0 but had a 6.23 ERA.
If you’re interested, read this about how Baseball Reference sources its data on Negro League stats.
Long story short:
This data comes from two sources: The Negro Leagues Researchers and Authors Group put together by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and Gary Ashwill and his collaborators. The Hall of Fame data is found for the years 1920-1948 and the Ashwill data is found from 1902-1919.
Regardless, Lillard’s 1933 card is quite exciting. His hit numbers (1-1-2-2-5-7-8-8-9-9-10-11) are probably unprecedented.
thanks Tom!
I feel one of the best sources is “The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues” by James A. Reilly.