If you look back through the history of baseball, there are many names that come to mind when the all-time greats are brought up. Names like Mays, Ruth, Gehrig, Bonds, Cobb, Mantle, Williams, Suzuki, Koufax, Gibson and Robinson. Many fans when asked who the most important person in the history of the sport is would most likely say one of two names, Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson.
These men left their indelible marks on the game, but there is someone I believe is equally important as these trailblazers. You won’t find his name in any record books, or his number retired with any team, but he revolutionized the game. His did all this while sitting at the helm of the General Manager’s office. The man’s name? Branch Rickey.
The most well-known story of Branch Rickey was his monumental decision to integrate Major League Baseball in 1947. This was a tall order, a fact that was not lost on Rickey. He was aware that if he were to do this, he had to find someone who was not only a skilled player, but who also had the mental toughness needed to take the racial abuse from white fans. Rickey thought he had found his man in Jackie Robinson. To ensure his intuition was correct, he summoned Robinson to his office at Ebbets Field. He proceeded to test Robinson’s grit by throwing every racial epithet he could think of at him. If he cracked, Rickey would need to continue his search. Robinson maintained his composure and went on to have a stellar ten-year career. He helped the Brooklyn Dodgers dominate the National League in the late 1940s and the 1950s, bringing the borough a championship in 1955. Through all the taunting and even physical abuse he endured by players and fans, he paved the way for other black players to participate in organized baseball as well as international players from Latin America and the Pacific Rim.
Rickey’s other big contribution to the game took place seventeen years prior to Robinson’s debut. Rickey was a pioneer in the sport, helping to create a player development system comprised of multiple teams with the purpose of molding future players for the St. Louis Cardinals. He did this by buying the majority of shares in many independent league teams. At the time, independent league teams provided less talented players opportunities to play and brought baseball to small towns. The best players were able to showcase their skills for Major League scouts. The Cardinals now had control over how their clubs operated and the players on these teams. They were able to have players ascend the ranks of their farm system without paying a premium for them to join the Major League roster. The system Rickey devised is used by every MLB team to this day.
Rickey’s move to establish a farm system was a savvy economic move during a difficult period for American businesses. Independent teams were hemorrhaging money due to the Great Depression and Major League affiliation was vital for them to stay in business. Major League Teams did not have an easy go of it either, as several teams almost had to close their doors as well. In a time when hundreds of thousands of people were in search of work, small town teams contributed to the economy by employing workers and, much like the movies of the 30s, offered an escape from the bleak economic outlook of the decade.
Today, Minor League Baseball is the best development system in professional sports. While it may take a while for players to reach the big leagues, when they make their debut, it is because the organization has watched their development and trusts that they are ready for the highest level of competition. Thanks to Branch Rickey, the Minor Leagues help effectively develop the rising generations of ball players. Rickey revolutionized the game with integration and establishing the minor league system. He does not get as much credit as he deserves for ALL his work.
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