White was African-American and was more focused on his academics but a tryout under New York Giants Manager Leo Durocher was arranged and he was so impressed that he was signed on the spot. White would be only the second black player in the Carolinas (St. Louis’ farm system) and encountered the racism that one would expect he would in the early 1950s. After he cracked the Giants roster, he was drafted to the army and then traded to the Cardinals after he returned (Willie McCovey had become the Giants’ First Baseman) but St. Louis moved him to the Outfield. The rest as they say is history.
White only played in the Outfield for a year before he moved to First Base, where he immediately established himself as the best defensive player at that position in the National League. White would win seven straight Gold Gloves, the first six of which were with St. Louis. In addition to his defensive prowess, he was a good hitter who in his seven seasons as a Cardinal never had less than 150 Hits in a season and he would have four campaigns where he batted over .300. White also showed solid power with five straight 20 Home Runs seasons (1961-65) and he went five for seven in terms of being named to the National League All-Star Team with St. Louis. He would also help the Redbirds win the 1964 World Series. Overall, White’s numbers with St. Louis would see him hit 140 Home Runs with a .298 Batting Average.
Bill White would later be a trailblazer as a successful broadcaster and was the first African-American to be the play-by-play announcer for a team (He did so for the Yankees in 1971). He would also later be the President of the National League in 1989, which was also a first for someone of color. This paragraph may not have anything to do with his accomplishments as a St. Louis Cardinal but it can’t be forgotten in his overall story. We just felt the need to say it!White was chosen for the Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2020.
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