Carlos Paula -- First Black Washington Senator

[GeoPoto]

. . . After the Senators hired Charlie Dressen as their new manager, off-season reports indicated that team brass was warming to the idea of Paula becoming a starter for 1955. Clark Griffith remarked “that big galoot could be a good player for us, with a little more preparation.” Another consideration was the potential gate attraction. With a “colored population of nearly 400,000,” Griffith yearned for the day to “give the fans a standout colored player.” Nonetheless, Griffith stated that “Dressen wants to go in with more than him (Paula) in spring training.” Five Black players joined the 1955 Nats training camp roster: Paula, Becquer, Delis, Panamanian pitcher Vibert “Webbo” Clarke, and infielder Curtis Hardaway. During camp, Dressen viewed Delis, not Paula, as “the colored player most likely to make good with the Senators.” Still, Dressen and coach Cookie Lavagetto worked tirelessly with Paula in spring training on refining his hitting stroke.

Paula broke camp with the Senators but was mainly a pinch-hitter the first month of the season. In mid-May, he replaced the slumping Roy Sievers (.128, 0 for his last 24) in left field. The advanced age of the 26-year-old rookie, as well as other Black major-leaguers of the time, drew comment from esteemed writer Sam Lacy of the Baltimore Afro-American. “For reasons that are all too apparent, the colored players who made the grade were not considered until far beyond the age of the white recruit.” It was suggested that owner Griffith’s and the franchise’s “Anybody but a Negro” policy had evolved to “Anybody but an African-American.”

Writer Povich commented that Paula was considered “something of a crudity in the field, but his bat has been working smartly for Dressen.” Povich also added flattering writeups on Paula’s fielding. “As an outfielder, the fellow is one of the better ones despite his great size. He has both agility and judgement, and there is no complaint with his speed. His throwing arm, too, is an asset.” He continued, “In the outfield, Paula never has been any problem. His startling speed for a 200-pounder has always been heavily in his favor and so has his throwing arm. He is learning to play the hitters and charge ground balls, but there is still a bit to be desired with his base running.”

On September 2, Paula broke up New York Yankee Whitey Ford’s no-hit bid with a seventh-inning single. During a 22-game stretch in August and September, Paula hit .450 with 36 hits, raising his average to .326. A late slump dropped his season-ending average to .299, good for second place on the team to Mickey Vernon . Unfortunately, he also ended the year with the lowest fielding percentage (.941) among American League outfielders by a “considerable margin.” Delis and Becquer, along with Clarke, had joined the Senators during the 1955 season. Paula would sometimes employ fellow Cuban and rookie shortstop José Valdivielso as an interpreter. Paula did not play in the final five games of the last-place Senators season, possibly to head back to Cuba to prepare for the Blues’ October 7 opener. Paula, Valdivielso, and Elston Howard were among those who made The Sporting News’ All-Rookie team for 1955. . . .

. . . In the middle of the Senators 1956 spring training, Paula was forced to return to Cuba to care for his mother, who had suffered a heart attack. Despite the circumstances, the team threatened to fine him when he did not return when expected. He did not break camp with Washington, instead being optioned to a Yankees farm club, the Denver Bears of the American Association, subject to a 24-hour recall. Paula tore up the AA in April, batting .481 with 13 hits over his first 27 at-bats. He was recalled to Washington in mid-May after hitting .375 with six home runs in 22 games for the Bears. Paula belted a pinch-hit three-run homer on June 11 against Kansas City — his last round-tripper in the majors. He hit just .183 in 33 games for Washington and was sent to the Louisville Colonels, also of the American Association, in late June. He never played again at the top level.