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grouped together here because they are generally considered to be, with the exception of Buck Leonard, the two greatest first basemen in Negro League history. As such, it would seem that they were both worthy of their 2006 Hall of Fame inductions.
    George “Mule” Suttles played for nine different teams during a 22-year Negro League career that began with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1923. Suttles was a tremendous righthanded power hitter who, using a 50-ounce bat, generated as much power as anyone in black baseball. He was a free-swinging lowball hitter who was known for hitting towering, tape measure home runs. It is said that he once hit a ball completely out of Havana’s Tropical Park that was later measured at close to 600 feet. Suttles’ prodigious power enabled him to lead the Negro National League in home runs twice. Suttles, though, was more than just a slugger. Although he struck out frequently, the six-foot three-inch, 215-pound first baseman maintained a consistently high batting average throughout his career, finishing with a mark of either .321, .329, or .338, depending on the source. He is also credited with a lifetime batting average of .374, with five home runs, in 26 exhibition games against white major leaguers. Suttles was elected five times to represent his team in the East-West All-Star Game, and played for three championship teams during his Negro League career.
    On the flip side, Suttles’ limited mobility made him a below-average fielder. Yet, it is said that the hulking first baseman handled almost everything he could reach, and his hitting prowess more than compensated for his defensive deficiencies. The late Chico Renfroe, former Kansas City Monarchs infielder and longtime sports editor of the Atlanta Daily World , referred to Suttles as the hitter who “had the most raw power of any player I’ve ever seen. He went after the ball viciously! He wasn’t a finesse player at all. He just overpowered the opposition.”
    While Mule Suttles was a pure slugger, Ben Taylor was a scientific hitter, known for his ability to hit line drives to all fields, and for his proficiency at executing the hit-and-run play. Generally considered to be the premier Negro League first baseman of the first quarter of the twentieth century, Taylor spent 20 years in black baseball, splitting time between 11 different teams. An extremely productive offensive player, Taylor posted a .334 lifetime batting average. He is credited with having batted over .300 in fifteen of his first sixteen seasons in baseball.
    In addition to being an outstanding lefthanded batter, Taylor was a smooth defensive first baseman who made difficult plays look easy. An excellent teacher as well, it was Taylor who helped Buck Leonard refine his skills as a first baseman.
    Orlando Cepeda/Tony Perez
    Now we are getting into a very gray area. Neither Orlando Cepeda nor Tony Perez was a great player, but both were very good. At their peaks, Cepeda was probably a little better, but Perez was a good player for a longer period of time. As a result, his career numbers compare favorably to those of Cepeda in most categories. Let’s take a look at the statistics compiled by both men, alongside those of Willie McCovey, a contemporary of both players who we have already identified as a legitimate Hall of Famer:

     
    The numbers would seem to indicate that, with the exception of home runs, both Cepeda and Perez were very comparable players to McCovey. The latter had a couple of truly dominant seasons that separated him somewhat from Cepeda and Perez. He also won a Most Valuable Player Award, something Cepeda accomplished as well, but Perez failed to do. However, both Cepeda and Perez were actually a bit more consistent than McCovey, and had more quality seasons over the course of their respective careers.
    A look at the career of McCovey reveals that he had only seven truly outstanding seasons; those in which he hit over 30 home runs and drove in close to,