Baseball Guru
11-11-2001, 06:25 PM
Bullet-Proof Case
Position: Pitcher, Outfielder, 1917 - 1938
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 170 lbs.
B/T: Right, Right
Born: 1889 in Oklahoma City, OK
Died: 1967 in Kansas City, MO
National Baseball Hall of Fame: Selected by the Veterans Committee, 1998.
Wilber "Bullet" Rogan had long been in baseball's witness protection program, until he was discovered by Casey Stengel and, at the age of 30, referred to Monarchs' owner J.L. Wilkinson. Stengel was quoted as saying, "Rogan was one of the best?if not the best?pitcher that ever pitched."
Acknowledged as one of the game's most versatile players, Wilber Rogan, attained mastery both on the pitcher's mound and in the batter's box. The all-around Bullet was the trigger that fired up the early- day Monarchs. Rogan led the charge on five championship teams.
Rogan sometimes used a no-windup delivery to deliver a devastating fastball with a full assembley of curves. Some players say Rogan had mastered three curves: a slider, a regular curve and a jug-handle curve that made the ball drop like an anvil. While many players said his fastball looked like a bar of hotel soap coming to the plate.
Rogan also threw a fork ball, a palm ball, a legal spitter and a side-arm curve that looked like Chet Brewer's emery ball. Brewer, a former Kansas City Monarchs pitching great, played with Satchel Paige and could compare the two men. "Rogan should have been put in the Hall of Fame before Satchel," Brewer said. "Paige only had his fastball, but Rogan had a fast ball and a curve also. Rogan could throw a curve ball faster than most pitchers could throw a fast ball. He was the best pitcher I ever saw in my life."
Although mainly thought of as a pitcher, Rogan played every outfield position. He was a great low-ball and curve-ball hitter, using a heavy bat. Rogan stood deep in the batter's box and would attack the ball with his powerfully thin legs, tremendously strong wrist that resemble a smooth Ernie Banks-type swing.
"He was the oiliest pitcher I ever saw," Paige said about Rogan. "He was pitching and hitting in the clean-up place. He was a chunky guy, but he could throw hard. He could throw as hard as Smokey Joe Williams, yeah! Oh yes, he was a number-one pitcher, wasn't any maybe so."
In 11 seasons with the Monarchs, Bullet Joe compiled a batting average of .339 and slugging percentage of .545. During the period he led the team in home runs and stolen bases three times while leading the league in games won for three seasons. His career pitching won-lost record of 111-43, is the highest recorded winning percentage (.721) in Negro League history.
At the age of 48, Rogan played his last game against white Major League pitching. Playing left-field against the Bob Feller All-Stars he went three-for-four and even stole a base. Of the 25 games he played against the white Major Leaguer teams he batted a creditable .329 with a slugging percentage of .513 against the likes of pitchers Feller, Mort Cooper, Mace Brown and Dizzy Dean.
Country boy and self-promoter Dizzy Dean said "Old Rogan, was a showboat boy, a Pepper Martin type ball player. He was one of those cute guys, never wanted to give you a good ball to hit.
Position: Pitcher, Outfielder, 1917 - 1938
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 170 lbs.
B/T: Right, Right
Born: 1889 in Oklahoma City, OK
Died: 1967 in Kansas City, MO
National Baseball Hall of Fame: Selected by the Veterans Committee, 1998.
Wilber "Bullet" Rogan had long been in baseball's witness protection program, until he was discovered by Casey Stengel and, at the age of 30, referred to Monarchs' owner J.L. Wilkinson. Stengel was quoted as saying, "Rogan was one of the best?if not the best?pitcher that ever pitched."
Acknowledged as one of the game's most versatile players, Wilber Rogan, attained mastery both on the pitcher's mound and in the batter's box. The all-around Bullet was the trigger that fired up the early- day Monarchs. Rogan led the charge on five championship teams.
Rogan sometimes used a no-windup delivery to deliver a devastating fastball with a full assembley of curves. Some players say Rogan had mastered three curves: a slider, a regular curve and a jug-handle curve that made the ball drop like an anvil. While many players said his fastball looked like a bar of hotel soap coming to the plate.
Rogan also threw a fork ball, a palm ball, a legal spitter and a side-arm curve that looked like Chet Brewer's emery ball. Brewer, a former Kansas City Monarchs pitching great, played with Satchel Paige and could compare the two men. "Rogan should have been put in the Hall of Fame before Satchel," Brewer said. "Paige only had his fastball, but Rogan had a fast ball and a curve also. Rogan could throw a curve ball faster than most pitchers could throw a fast ball. He was the best pitcher I ever saw in my life."
Although mainly thought of as a pitcher, Rogan played every outfield position. He was a great low-ball and curve-ball hitter, using a heavy bat. Rogan stood deep in the batter's box and would attack the ball with his powerfully thin legs, tremendously strong wrist that resemble a smooth Ernie Banks-type swing.
"He was the oiliest pitcher I ever saw," Paige said about Rogan. "He was pitching and hitting in the clean-up place. He was a chunky guy, but he could throw hard. He could throw as hard as Smokey Joe Williams, yeah! Oh yes, he was a number-one pitcher, wasn't any maybe so."
In 11 seasons with the Monarchs, Bullet Joe compiled a batting average of .339 and slugging percentage of .545. During the period he led the team in home runs and stolen bases three times while leading the league in games won for three seasons. His career pitching won-lost record of 111-43, is the highest recorded winning percentage (.721) in Negro League history.
At the age of 48, Rogan played his last game against white Major League pitching. Playing left-field against the Bob Feller All-Stars he went three-for-four and even stole a base. Of the 25 games he played against the white Major Leaguer teams he batted a creditable .329 with a slugging percentage of .513 against the likes of pitchers Feller, Mort Cooper, Mace Brown and Dizzy Dean.
Country boy and self-promoter Dizzy Dean said "Old Rogan, was a showboat boy, a Pepper Martin type ball player. He was one of those cute guys, never wanted to give you a good ball to hit.