Andy Cooper

Andrew Lewis Cooper (April 24, 1898 - June 3, 1941), nicknamed "Lefty", he was an American left-handed pitcher, who hit right-handed, in baseball's Negro Leagues. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in February 2006.

Born in Waco, Texas, Cooper played nine seasons for the Detroit Stars and ten seasons for the Kansas City Monarchs, which he also managed from 1928 to 1940, winning the pennant a number of times. The tall Texan was 6'2" tall and weighed 220 lbs. He holds the Negro League career record for saves (29).

Cooper pitched for the Stars in 1920-27 before he was traded to the Kansas City Monarchs for five players in 1928. He posted a 116-57 record, good for a .671 winning percentage and went 72-30 over a six-year span. One of his best years was 1936, when he went 27-8 against all levels of competition. He often pitched three games in a five-game series, starting two and relieving another. Cooper's equivalent record per season is 16-8.

"Lefty" studied the hitters carefully and threw a variety of pitches at varying speeds. He sharpened sinkers, sliders, and screwballs. He had excellent control and could nibble at the corners to make the off-balanced batters all but get themselves out.

According to news reports in the Chicago "Defender", Cooper reportedly suffered a stroke early in the 1941 pre-season. He left for his home in Waco to rest and recover, leaving Newt Allen as intirim manager, but suffered a fatal heart attack on June 3, never having returned to the Monarchs.

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