To the casual baseball fan, the name Oscar Charleston probably doesn’t mean anything. In the history of the Negro Leagues though, Charleston was one of, if not the greatest player to ever don a uniform. He ranks among Negro League leaders in both batting average (.354) and home runs (157), as well as the overall leader in stolen bases (245).
A center fielder who played mostly for the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Charleston was described as a combination of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
Later in life Charleston served as a scout for Branch Rickey and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Inducted into that other hall in 1976, the Hall of Immortals welcomes Oscar Chalreston.