Ben Taylor

CTL-E-6959 · Person · other · 1888–1953

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07831 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6959.

Benjamin Harrison Taylor (July 1, 1888 – January 24, 1953) was an American first baseman and manager in Black baseball, born in Anderson, South Carolina, and known as "Old Reliable" for his clutch hitting and outstanding defensive play at first base. He belonged to one of the most famous families in African-American baseball: the Hall of Fame records that he played alongside his brothers C.I., "Steel Arm John" (Johnny "Steel Arm" Taylor), and "Candy Jim." Beginning as a pitcher in 1908, Taylor starred in the pre-Negro Leagues era and through the leagues' golden era, and the Hall of Fame describes him as a lifetime .300 hitter; Seamheads-based accounts put his documented average at .328 across 999 games. A respected teacher of the position, he mentored Buck Leonard, who credited Taylor with teaching him to play first base. He died of pneumonia in Baltimore on January 24, 1953. The Special Committee on the Negro Leagues elected him to the Baseball Hall of Fame on February 27, 2006.

The record

• Also known as: Benjamin Harrison Taylor, Old Reliable

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0260. Firsts disposition: NO 'first' is asserted. IDENTITY NOTE: this is Ben Taylor the first baseman (1888–1953), not any later player of the same name; family claims (brothers C.I., Steel Arm John/Johnny, and Candy Jim) are stated only as the Hall of Fame and SABR state them. Statistics are attributed as the sources state them (Hall: lifetime .300 hitter; Seamheads-based accounts: .328 in 999 documented games) and are not blended. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Taylor's case rests on the testimony of the men who succeeded him — above all Buck Leonard, who learned first base from him and then became the standard at the position. 'Old Reliable' is a reputation record: consistency and teaching across four decades, preserved because his students said so on the record. Photo: CLEARED — Taylor Ben 1915.jpg, Public domain; the Commons file description names Hall of Fame baseball player Ben Taylor.

Sources

• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Taylor, Ben." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• Society for American Baseball Research. "Ben Taylor" (Tim Hagerty, SABR BioProject). Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)

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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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