7 Negro Leagues Recommended by SABR to Be Reclassified to Major League Status

In the wake of Major League Baseball's decision to reclassify the Negro Leagues as majors, the Society for American Baseball Research has recommended seven different leagues for the status. 

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), SABR announced Thursday it is recommending big league status for "Negro National League I (1920-31), Negro National League II (1933-48), Negro American League (1937-48), Eastern Colored League (1923-28), American Negro League (1929), East-West League (1932) and Negro Southern League (1932)."

MLB officially announced in December that Negro Leagues from the period of 1920-48 will be elevated to Major League status. 

The move will make the approximately 3,400 players from those leagues part of MLB's historical record. All seven leagues that were included in MLB's announcement were recommended for their Major League status on Thursday. 

According to the AP, notable players whose stats will be impacted if the leagues are given status include Willie Mays, Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige. 

Mays, who currently ranks sixth on MLB's all-time home run list, would increase his total from 660 to 677. He hit 17 homers for the Birmingham Black Barons from 1948-50 prior to joining the New York Giants in 1951.

Albert Pujols moved past Mays on the all-time homer list last year and has 662 in his career entering the 2021 season. 

Paige only had 28 wins during his MLB career but racked up 146 in 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues. Gibson hit .441 in 1943 as a member of the Homestead Grays. The MLB record for highest single-season batting average is .440 by Hugh Duffy in 1894. 

MLB and the Elias Sports Bureau are currently reviewing SABR's recommendation before issuing a final decision.