It’s always good to recognize the baseball players from the Negro League. There’s a new 15-card set that highlights the long and brilliant career of John “Pete” Hill, who starred in the Negro League with the Philadelphia Giants. Artist Gary Cieradkowski, baseball researcher, Gary Ashwill and Major Ronald Hill put the card set together.

Hill was a great all-around player who could hit for average and had some power, throw and run. Unfortunately, after 1900, the color barrier kept Black players out of the majors. They could only play for all-Black and foreign teams. Hill died in 1951 with very little attention given to his career and it was many years until historians uncovered his contributions and placed him in the Hall of Fame.

Hill’s career has remained obscure with hardly any information about his life. He lost contact later in life with his extended family, and the younger people were not aware of their relationship to this great standout. The original Hall of Fame plaque had his full name incorrect. But Hill’s nephew, Major Ronald Hill, and Gary Ashwill have set the record straight. In 2011, the Hall of Fame unveiled a recast plaque for John Preston Hill in a ceremony attended by a number of Hill’s relatives.

This set brings Hill’s story to life through illustrations and research. Cieradkowski had to get a hold of some old photos of Hill to recreate the uniforms of the teams he played for in the Negro League. Ashwill was able to get some official records and newspapers to help write his story. In addition, the set makes the first attempt to organize Hill’s complete playing statistics in the Negro Leagues and Cuba. Hill played for the semipro Pittsburgh Keystones at the beginning of his career. Then, he played for the Philadelphia Giants and Chicago American Giants. He was also a player-manager with the Detroit Stars and Baltimore Black Sox.

For more information on the Pete Hill Baseball Card Set, go to www.infinitecardset.blogspot.com.

Contact staff writer Donald Hunt at (215) 893-5719 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .