When Willie Mays died in June 2024, there was a renewal of the debate over who was the greatest baseball player of all time. Was it Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Honus Wagner, or others? There is one name rarely mentioned: Oscar Charleston. Honus Wagner, of those names, has the following inscription on his headstone: “I’ve seen all the great players in the many years I’ve been around and have yet to see anyone greater than Charleston”.
Oscar Charleston was born in Indiana in 1896. He was the seventh child out of eleven, born to his parents. Oscar began playing baseball at a young age, but he was called to serve his nation. He lied about his age and joined the Army when he was just 15. He served one tour of duty, mostly in the Philippines.
In 1915, Oscar began his professional baseball career as a pitcher. In his first appearance, he pitched a 3-hit shutout against an exhibition team of white players. Oscar, like all African Americans, was not allowed to play in the Major Leagues.
His hitting and fielding were so outstanding that he was quickly moved to playing centerfield. He excelled at hitting, fielding, and running and often led the Negro Leagues in all those categories. He was considered to be the greatest center fielder in the history of the Negro League.
We tend to think of the Negro League as being inferior to Major League Baseball. But think about the following all-star team of former Negro League players:
First Base–Buck Leonard Left Field–Minnie Minoso
Second Base–Jackie Robinson Center Field–Oscar Charleston
Shortstop–Ernie Banks Right Field–Hank Aaron
Third Base–Judy Johnson Pitcher–Satchel Paige
Catcher–Roy Campanella
For 43 years, Oscar played and managed baseball. In 1932, he was player-manager of what many consider the greatest baseball team of all time: The Pittsburgh Crawfords. That team had four future Hall of Fame players. He played in his last game at the age of 45.
Unfortunately, Oscar was too old to play in Major League Baseball when it began to become integrated. But as a scout, he was able to identify and help a number of African Americans become Major League players. Oscar passed away at the young age of 57. He leaves a legacy as the only player in baseball to have won three Triple Crowns as the league leader in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.
Why isn’t Oscar Charleston better known?
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“If Oscar Charleston isn’t the greatest baseball player in the world, then I’m no judge of baseball talent.”–Hall of Fame Manager John McGraw