Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Norman “Turkey” Stearnes

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Over the next two weeks leading up to Induction Day, 6 Sports will be profiling each of the four members of the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

We begin with Negro Leagues legend Norman “Turkey” Stearnes.

Stearnes spent nine remarkable years with the Detroit Stars as part of a 19-year career in the Negro Leagues. He passed away in 1979.

Known for a quirky batting stance and reserved personality, there are a few theories about where his enduring nickname “Turkey” came from. One theory says it was given to him by teammates who were taking a jab at the way he stuck his chest out and flapped his arms while he ran, but Stearnes himself said it was given to him as a child because he had a potbelly when he was young.

While he may have had his quirks on the diamond, his talent was undeniable. When Major League Baseball officially incorporated Negro League statistics into the record book earlier this year, he became further immortalized as one of the game’s all-time greats.

He ranks in the top 10 all-time in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. Still, many people are just learning his name.

“I’m starting to call him ‘Top Ten Turkey’ now since he has those three categories that are amazing,” said Stearnes’ granddaughter, Vanessa Rose. “And hopefully we’ll find out more as the story unfolds about how he measures up against all those other great players from the history of baseball.”

Stearnes passed away before Rose was born but she has spent a lot of time learning all she can about her grandfather. She’s even written a book about his life and impact called Hall of Fame DNA: The Life and Legacy of Norman “Turkey” Stearnes and hosted a podcast for ABC News about the Negro Leagues called “Reclaimed: The Forgotten League.”

Rose said her interest in her grandfather’s legacy was sparked through conversations with her grandmother, Nettie Stearnes. Her grandmother spent 21 years after Stearnes’ passing campaigning for him to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which he finally was in 2000.

“She taught me everything about his legacy and his stats and the stories about him living through Jim Crow which was devastating,” said Rose. “But as the granddaughter of Turkey Stearnes, she was letting me know and really pouring into me that you have that same light that he had. You have the opportunity to strive for greatness like he did.”

Stearnes’ career ended six years before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. Rose said her grandfather was never bitter about the racism he faced even though he was constantly reminded of the dream he could not reach by working a second job for the owner of the Detroit Tigers during his playing career.

“He worked in Briggs Manufacturing Company and Walter Briggs actually owned the Detroit Tigers at the time,” she said. “So the fact that he owned the manufacturing plant and the Tigers and my grandfather was working there, he easily could have recognized his talent… But because of segregation and Jim Crow and because of Walter Briggs’ own biases and his beliefs, grandpa didn’t have that opportunity. Again, he was not bitter about it. I again believe that he thought that’s just the way things are for now so I’ll continue to be my best self and move forward. But he was grateful for the job that he had and it’s really astonishing to think about a professional athlete having a job in an auto plant.”

The Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame will become the fifth hall of fame Stearnes has been inducted into. The tragedy for Stearnes, as it is for so many other stars of the Negro Leagues, is that all these honors and celebrations of his greatness have come after he passed away.

“It’s really important to give people their flowers when they’re here and to acknowledge their greatness,” said Rose. “Especially when they’re on that level of greatness. There’s so many stories that we’re missing out on because he’s not here to speak for himself”

Rose added that late in his life, Stearnes did receive a small gesture to recognize the dream he wasn’t allowed to realize.

“Before he passed away, a writer named Joe Lapointe actually took him down to Tiger Stadium and had him stand at home plate, ready to take a swing,” she said. “There’s some great pictures from that day.”

It was a beautiful gesture. But once again, Stearnes was only able to stand on the field where he should have shined.

“I think his story is just beginning in many ways, which is amazing, but at the same time I wish he could’ve given the speech at Cooperstown, for example. Or could’ve made the trip to Cooperstown just to see it in all its glory.”

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