Donald Reeves

Donald Ray Reeves
(Soup, Andy Gump)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 2", Weight 198 lb.
• School Clark College
• Debut 1938
• Final Game 1941
• Born July 31, 1911 in Atlanta, GA USA
• Died January 3, 1973 in Sandersville, GA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Donald Reeves only played for five years in the Negro Leagues but was a top star in two of them.

Reeves had played basketball, football and baseball in college, doing very well in all three. He joined the Atlanta Black Crackers in 1937. In 1938, he hit .377, second in the Negro American League behind Pep Young. Reeves batted .242 for the Indianapolis ABCs in 1939.

"Soup" hit 7 homers and four doubles in 38 at-bats for the Chicago American Giants in 1940 (the NAL had a short schedule). He led the NAL in homers and tied Newt Allen for second in doubles, one behind leader Buck O'Neil. That kind of performance earned him 69,968 votes for the 1940 East-West Game, third-most of all players behind Hilton Smith and Buck Leonard. Hitting 5th and playing left field for the West, he went 0 for 4 in a 11-0 loss. Reeves ended his career by hitting .250 in 1941. He later taught in the Atlanta, GA school system.

Notable Achievements

• NAL All-Star (1940)
• NAL Batting Average Leader (1938)
• NAL On-Base Percentage Leader (1938)
• NAL Slugging Percentage Leader (1938)
• NAL OPS Leader (1938)

Sources

• Black Baseball's National Showcase by Larry Lester
• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway