Alonzo Mitchell
Nicknames: Bo, Fluke, Hooks
Career: 1923-1941
Positions: p, 1b, of, manager, officer
Teams: Baltimore Black Sox (1923, 1926), Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (1924-1926, 1928), Harrisburg Giants (1926), Akron Tyrites (1933), Jacksonville Red Caps (1934-1938, 1941), Birmingham Black Barons (1937-1938), Atlanta Black Crackers (1938), Indianapolis ABCs (1939), Cleveland Bears (1939-1940)
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Height: 5' 10'' Weight: 160
A side-arm curveballer, the slight, bowlegged right-hander could also throw hard, even in later years, when he was a veteran. During the 1930s and early 1940s he was a pitcher and manager with ballclubs based in the South, primarily with the Jacksonville Red Caps. He was appointed manager of the Jacksonville Red Caps when they were playing independent ball, 1934-1937, but left the team for stints with the Birmingham Black Barons and the Atlanta Black Crackers.
Classified as an "old-timer" in 1938, he was pitching with the Black Crackers in April but was released in the latter part of July in an acrimonious termination. His pitching effectiveness was not questioned, as he was described as being a "wonderful pitcher" but he was at odds with the manager and players and was called "a troublemaker of the rankest sort." When released he cut up a $10 lumberjacket provided for the players by the owners, an act that essentially destroyed any chance of his return to the ballclub. Leaving the Black Crackers, he returned to the Red Caps, and when the team relocated in Cleveland he served as manager of the Cleveland Bears in 1939-1940 and continued at the helm when the franchise returned to Jacksonville in 1941.
In earlier years, during the 1920s, he pitched with the Bacharachs, posting marks of 1-5 and 4-2 in 1925-1926. He also pitched with the Baltimore Black Sox and Harrisburg Giants, and sometimes also played in the outfield and at first base. He played at the initial sack with the Akron Tyrites in 1933 before joining the Red Caps in 1934.
Source: James A. Riley, The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues, New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1994.