Mahlon Duckett, the last surviving member of the Negro National Leagues’ Philadelphia Stars, died Sunday at 92.
Duckett, a West Philadelphia native and Overbrook High School Hall of Famer, played in the Negro Leagues from 1940 to 1950, spending all but one season in Philadelphia with the Stars. After the Negro National Leagues folded in 1949, he finished his career with the Homestead Grays.
The winner of the league’s Rookie of the Year award in 1940 as a 17-year-old, Duckett went on to be known for his defensive prowess as an infielder. He hit .277 in 1945, the best season he had at the plate.
According to his Negro Leagues Baseball Museum profile, “He had an average arm and a modicum of speed and power, and was known more for his glove than for his bat.”
Duckett was the final living reminder of the Negro Leagues’ history in Philadelphia, specifically West Philadelphia. Before moving to their longtime home field at 44th and Parkside, the Stars won the 1934 championship on Passon Field at 48th and Spruce in only their second season.
Duckett's death serves also as a reminder of what baseball was like pre-Jackie Robinson. Duckett played seven Negro League seasons before Robinson (National League) and Larry Doby (American League) broke the color barrier in 1947.
"It was just a matter of time before all the Negro League players got up [to the majors]," Duckett said of baseball’s integration in an interview back in February with Donald Hunt for ESPN. "I was so glad to see it happen. It should have happened long before it did."
MLB
Greats like Kansas City Monarchs pitcher Satchel Paige and Homestead Grays catcher Josh Gibson dominated the Negro League circuit without any consideration from MLB teams. Paige did eventually play a handful of seasons in the majors, though those seasons came long after the prime of his career.
After one season in Washington D.C. playing for the Grays, Duckett returned to his home city, where he worked as a mail carrier until his retirement in 1988. Duckett died Sunday in Philadelphia.