Sam Jethroe played in the Negro Leagues for years and didn't get his chance to play in the Majors until he was 33 . . . and I wonder if there was ever an older Rookie of the Year awardee ! He missed by just two years, and a move to Milwaukee, playing alongside Hank Aaron.
Here's something fascinating about Sam Jethroe. See, in the stats below (from baseballreference.com), the remarkable consistency of his offensive stats from his first two seasons, including leading the league in steals both years with 35:
The card shown is from the 1950 Bowman set.
Home base
