He was a good hitter and slick fielding third base and second baseman who was compared to major league star Jimmy Collins.

Monroe was known for his showmanship, and entertained crowds with feats such as catching "Texas Leaguers" behind his back and kicking ground balls to make them bounce into his hands.

In a 1952 Pittsburgh Courier newspaper poll to select the greatest Negro league ballplayers of history, Monroe was named as the third-team second baseman behind Jackie Robinson and Bingo DeMoss.

[5] He was one of 94 Negro league candidates initially recommended by the National Baseball Hall of Fame's screening committee for the 2006 Hall of Fame election by the Committee on African American Baseball, though he did not make the list of 39 names that ultimately appeared on the ballot.

[7][8] James Riley tells a story that Hall of Famer Joe McGinnity was once paid $500 by a semi-professional team to pitch against the Philadelphia Giants.

The pitcher accepted the bet and fired a fastball, which Monroe hit for a home run which would ultimately win the game for the Giants.

[6][14] His obituary reported that Hall of Fame manager John McGraw had once said, "Monroe was the greatest infielder he had ever seen," but that he "could not use him on account of his color.

"[6] Five days after his death, it was reported that the entire Chicago American Giants baseball team played with a "piece of black crepe" around their arms, mourning for Monroe.