Ed Steele

Edward D. Steele
(Stainless)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut 1942
• Final Game 1948
• Born August 8, 1915 in Dallas County, AL USA
• Died October 1 1978 in Birmingham, AL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Ed Steele was a Negro League outfielder for a decade, known for his line drive hitting and propensity to getting hit by pitch.

Ed played for the Acipco Company in Birmingham, AL's industrial leagues before turning pro.

Steele broke in with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1942. He was a bench player in 1943 but came up big in the 1943 Negro World Series. In game seven, he entered in the 9th inning when Hoss Walker was ejected, then singled in the winner two innings later against Roy Partlow to end a 1-0 duel. He was 2 for 5 in the Series, but Birmingham lost to the Homestead Grays.

Steele became a starter in 1944 and hit .303. His 12 doubles tied Neil Robinson for second in the Negro American League, trailing only Sam Jethroe. Ed went 7 for 19 in the 1944 Negro World Series to lead Birmingham, but they again fell to Homestead. The Alabama native posted a .352 average in 1945, good for 5th in the NAL.

In 1946, Steele toured with the Satchel Paige All-Stars and was 1 for 4 against the Bob Feller All-Stars. A year later, he was 4 for 16 against the Feller and Ewell Blackwell All-Stars. Steele hit .300 and slugged .488 in 1948. Birmingham lost yet again to Homestead. Stainless Steele remained steady, at .316 in 1949 and .306 in 1950.

Steele got his first All-Star appearance in the 1950 East-West Game, hitting 7th and playing left field for the West. He went 2 for 3 with an error and a RBI in a 5-3 win. Hitting .382 to lead the NAL at the time of the 1951 East-West Game, he led all vote-getters with 10,019 votes. In the game, he hit 5th for the East and played right field. With the contest scoreless in the 6th, he tripled off Webbo Clarke to score Ray Neil, then came home on a Norman Robinson double; the East would win, 3-1.

The 36-year-old got his one season in the minor leagues in 1952. He hit .213/.324/.361 in 22 games for the Hollywood Stars and .254/.433/.317 in 47 contests for the Denver Bears. He spent 1953-1954 with Guelph in Canada. From 1955-1958, he managed the Detroit Stars.

Notable Achievements

• NAL Batting Average Leader (1945)
• NAL Slugging Percentage Leader (1945)
• NAL OPS Leader (1945)
• NAL Triples Leader (1945)
• NAL Home Runs Leader (1944)

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
• 1953 Baseball Guide

Related Sites

• Ed Steele at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page