J.W. Wingate

John W. Wingate
(Windy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right

• Born May 13, 1929

BR Register page

Biographical Information

J.W. Wingate played in the minors.

Wingate player in Canada's Southern League in 1950, a haven for African-American players. He was then the first African-American signed by a minor league team in Texas, joining the Lamesa Lobos in 1951 when Jay Haney tried to integrate the league. He left the team when their other African-American signee (Connie Heard) was released, seeking opportunities elsewhere, but then returned to the club. He had hits in his first six games, three doubles, but was let go after 27 games as attendance dropped with a black player in the lineup. He had hit .250 and slugged .370. It would be over a year before the next black player in the circuit. He was with the Kansas City Monarchs for part of 1951.

He returned to the minors in 1954 with the Wichita Falls Spudders/Sweetwater Spudders and Roswell Rockets, spending 29 games with Roswell when Joe Bauman rewrote the minor league home run record book. He hit .282/.356/.401 in 85 games that summer, scoring 66 runs but fielded .841 at third base. In 1955, he was with three teams in the Big State League - the Texas City Texans, Tyler Tigers and Port Arthur Sea Hawks. He batted .241/.346/.268 in 87 games. He fielded .891 in 55 at short (four shortstops in the league were worse among players with 10+ games there) and .941 at third (6th-best among third basemen with 10+ games).