Jabbo Andrews

Herman Andrews

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 198 lb.

• Debut 1930
• Final Game 1942
• Born December 23, 1907 in Burnsville, AL USA
• Died July, 1964

BR page

Biographical Information

Jabbo Andrews a Negro League player of the 1930s and 1940s who bounced from one team to another, switching clubs over 15 times in his 14 seasons. He never played in an East-West Game despite some impressive seasons. Defense was a weak point.

Andrews debuted in 1930, hitting .393 for the Birmingham Black Barons, .188 for the Chicago American Giants and .391 for the Memphis Red Sox. Overall, his .378 average tied Frank Duncan for third in the Negro National League behind Mule Suttles and Willie Wells. He also hit 17 doubles, tying Cool Papa Bell for 5th in an impressive rookie year. He joined the Indianapolis ABCs in 1931, hitting third and playing right field, but batted just .229. He did rank among the NNL leaders in doubles (6, tied for 4th), triples (7, tied with Newt Joseph for second behind Jimmie Crutchfield) and steals (3, tied for 3rd).

The big outfielder split 1932 between Indianapolis (.226), the Homestead Grays (.234), the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Detroit Wolves. Moving to the Columbus Blue Birds in 1933, he was one of their top stars. He hit .412, third in the NNL behind Leroy Morney and Jud Wilson, and cracked 13 home runs, third behind Josh Gibson and Oscar Charleston. It is unclear where, if anywhere, Herman played in 1934-1935.

Returning to the diamond with the New York Cubans in 1936, Jabbo was a bench player. He hit .281 and slugged .436 for Habana in the 1936-1937 Cuban Winter League, nearly identical numbers to outfield mate Bobby Estalella. Andrews had five homers, tying Estalella for the league lead, and his five triples tied Cando López for the lead.

Andrews spent part of 1937 with the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo (.256) as they won the title; he also was with Pittsburgh that year. The players who jumped to the Dominican were suspended by NNL president Gus Greenlee but reinstated before long. In 1938, Andrews was a backup for the Washington Black Senators. Out of a job, he wrote a letter to Abe Manley of the Newark Eagles requesting a try-out, but didn't get one. He wound up splitting 1939 between Indianapolis (.263) and the Cleveland Bears.

Back with Birmingham in 1940, the veteran eked out a .158 average. After a year away, he hit .350 for Chicago in 1942 and also spent part of the year with the Jacksonville Red Caps. The slugger wound up his career with the 1943 Philadelphia Stars, backing up Goose Curry, Gene Benson and Red Parnell.

Andrews later came down with tuberculosis.

Notable Achievements

• NNL Batting Average Leader (1933)

Sources

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway
• Cuban Baseball: A Statistical History by Jorge Figueredo