Suttle's career in Negro baseball began in 1918, two years before Rube Foster's Negro National League's inaugural season, and continued until after Jackie Robinson had his rookie season with the Brooklyn Dodgers under his belt.
Widely acclaimed as a power hitter (twice leading the league in homeruns), Suttles consistently hit for high average, compiling a lifetime .321 average over 21 seasons as an active player. Elected five times to represent his team in the East-West All-Star Classic the "Mule" had the honor of hitting the first homerun in All-Star Game history, a three-run shot off Sam Streeter.
Playing against white major league squads, including an all-star aggregation headed by Hall-Of-Famer Charlie Gehringer in 1929, Suttles demonstrated his ability to handle major league pitching. He smashed five homeruns in 26 games and compiled a near .400 batting average.
The late chico Renfroe, former Kansas City Monarchs infielder and longtime sports editor of the Atlanta Daily World , recalled suttles as the hitter who "had the most raw power of any player I've ever seen. He went after the ball viciously! He wasn't a finesse player at all. He just overpowered the opposition."
After curtailing his on-field action Suttles took the helm of the Newark Eagles as field manager.
