Hall of Famer Monte Irvin has died at the age of 96

Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, who played in the Negro Leagues before joining the New York Giants in 1949, has died.  He was 96 years old.

This is sad news for baseball...Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Negro League Committee in 1973, and was one of the first Negro Leaguers to be inducted.  He's largely remembered by MLB fans for his time with the Giants from 1949-55, when he put up a .296/.389/.477 line in 653 games before finishing out his career with the Cubs in 1956.

Irvin's #20 uniform was retired by the San Francisco Giants in 2010, and he is generally considered to be one of the all-time greats when considering his time both in the Negro Leagues and MLB.