Clyde McNeal

Clyde Clifton McNeal
(Junior)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• High School St. Peter Claver School
• Debut 1945
• Final Game 1948
• Born December 15, 1928 in San Antonio, TX USA
• Died April 14, 1996 in San Antonio, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Clyde McNeal was a Negro League and minor league infielder. He was a one-time Negro League All-Star and won one minor league home run crown.

McNeal debuted in 1944 with the Chicago American Giants, backing up Jesse Douglas at shortstop at age 15. After another year on the bench, he won the starting role in 1946, hitting .308. He hit .251 in 1948, .266 in 1949 and .286 in 1950. In the 1950 East-West Game, he pinch-hit for Curley Williams in the fourth to face Raul Galata. McNeal stayed in at shortstop and finished 1 for 3 with an error in a 5-3 win by the West.

McNeal signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1953, he hit .275/.361/.436 with 35 doubles for the Elmira Pioneers. He finished third in the Eastern League in two-baggers and his .940 fielding percentage at third base led EL players there with 80+ games. The next year, the Texan batted .309/?/.514 for the Newport News Dodgers and got his lone look at AAA, going 1 for 8 for the Montreal Royals.

In 1955, Clyde appeared for Newport News (.269, .486 SLG), the Pueblo Dodgers (16 for 81, 3 2B, 2 HR) and the Monterrey Sultans (10 for 37, 6 BB, 2B). He had his big season with the '56 Cedar Rapids Raiders, hitting .303 with 27 home runs and slugging .527. He led the Three-I League in dingers and was 7th in RBI (89). McNeal struggled in 1957 with Pueblo (10 for 54, 3 2B, HR) and Cedar Rapids (0 for 1).

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• Pat Doyle's Professional Baseball Player Database
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• 1954 Baseball Guide

Related Sites

• BR Minors page