Louis “Big Bertha” Santop Game Used Bat (c. 1920’s)
Louis Santop was born in 1890 in Tyler, Texas. He was considered the greatest slugger in Negro League baseball during the “dead ball” era. Santop was the first great superstar of the Negro Leagues. Santop was both an outstanding hitter and defensive player as a catcher. As a hitter he hit for both power and average. Santop was a big man 6’ 4’ tall and 240 pounds. He was known for his tape measure homeruns with his oversized bat. Between the years 1911-1914, Santop hit .470, .422, .429 and .455. Santop was said to be able to stand at home plate and throw a baseball over the centerfield fence.
Louis Santop (1909 - 1931)
During his Negro league baseball career he played for the following teams:
Fort Worth Wonders 1909
Oklahoma City Monarchs 1909
Philadelphia Giants 1909-1910
New York Lincoln Giants 1911-1914 and 1918
Brooklyn Royal Giants 1914-1919
Chicago American Giants 1915
New York Lincoln Stars 1915-1916
Hilldale Daisies 1917-1926
Santop’s Bronchos 1927-1931
During the off seasons, Santop played winter ball in Cuba and in Florida for the hotel league. After he retired from the Negro leagues, he barnstormed with his own team, Santop’s Bronchos. Louis Santop died in 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His contributions to baseball were finally recognized when he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2006.
Center for Negro League Baseball Research
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Carrollton, Texas 75006