Was Oscar Charleston a pitcher?

Both. Oscar Charleston pitched in 30 games, going 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Center Fielder.

How many home runs did Oscar Charleston hit?

Oscar Charleston hit 183 career home runs with 1,718 hits.

Did Oscar Charleston win an MVP award?

No. Oscar Charleston did not win the MVP award.

What awards did Oscar Charleston win?

Oscar Charleston was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

What were Oscar Charleston's career stats?

In 1,336 games, Oscar Charleston had 1,718 hits, 183 home runs, 1,139 RBI, 1,164 runs, and 311 stolen bases, with a .350 batting average. As a pitcher, in 30 games, he went 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and 157.0 innings pitched.

What position did Oscar Charleston play?

Oscar Charleston played primarily as a center fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.

How tall was Oscar Charleston and how much did he weigh?

Oscar Charleston was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 185 pounds.

How many home runs did Oscar Charleston hit each season?

Oscar Charleston's home runs by season: 2 in 1915, 0 in 1916, 1 in 1917, 3 in 1918, 8 in 1919, 5 in 1920, 12 in 1921, 17 in 1922, 11 in 1923, 15 in 1924, 20 in 1925, 10 in 1926, 13 in 1927, 11 in 1928, 7 in 1929, 12 in 1930, 3 in 1931, 4 in 1932, 14 in 1933, 7 in 1934, 2 in 1935, 4 in 1936, 1 in 1937, 0 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 0 in 1940, and 0 in 1941. His most in one season was 20, in 1925.

What was Oscar Charleston's career batting average?

Oscar Charleston batted .350 over his career, with 1,718 hits in 4,903 at bats.

How many RBI did Oscar Charleston have?

Oscar Charleston drove in 1,139 runs in his career.

What was Oscar Charleston's career ERA?

Oscar Charleston finished with a 4.47 career ERA, going 3-6 with 63 strikeouts.

How many All-Star Games did Oscar Charleston make?

Oscar Charleston was selected to 3 All-Star Games.

Oscar Charleston

Center Fielder · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (Final season: 1941)

Oscar Charleston was a center fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 13 teams, including the Indianapolis ABCs. In 1,336 career games, he hit .350 with 1,718 hits, 183 home runs, and 1,139 RBI. He also pitched in 30 games, going 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA. Oscar Charleston was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976 and was a 3-time All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 34,756.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated October 17, 2026

⭐ Hall of Fame 1976

AVG .350

HR 183

RBI 1,139

H 1,718

OPS 1.005

PIV 34,756

Position: Center Fielder
Bats / Throws: L / L
Height / Weight: 5'8" / 185 lb
Born: 10/14/1896 in Indianapolis, IN, USA
Died: 10/5/1954 in Philadelphia, PA, USA
Last Game: 1941-08-12
Hall of Fame: Inducted 1976 (Negro League)
Awards: 3× All-Star

Full name: Oscar McKinley Charleston

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Oscar Charleston — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
687.0	602.0	93.0	177.0	40.0	5.0	21.0	65.0	74.0	16.0	18.0	.294	.377	.482	.859

Career Batting Statistics

Oscar Charleston — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1,336	4,903	1,164	1,718	329	112	183	1,139	311	647	29	.350	.430	.575	1.005	34,756

Career AVG .350 vs. league average .275 across their career seasons — +27.4% above league average.

Career OBP .430 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +27.0% above league average.

Career SLG .575 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — +49.9% above league average.

Career OPS 1.005 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — +39.2% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Oscar Charleston Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1915	ABC	WES	57	221	31	57	9	5	2	31	14	13	0	.258	.250 (+3%)	.318 (-5%)	.332 (+12%)	.651 (+3%)	38.8
1916	NLS	EAS	15	64	18	22	0	1	0	4	5	8	0	.344	.248 (+38%)	.314 (+33%)	.326 (+15%)	.640 (+24%)	257.5
1916	ABC	WES	18	58	7	17	1	2	0	9	2	6	0	.293	.248 (+18%)	.314 (+14%)	.326 (+16%)	.640 (+15%)	257.5
1917	ABC	WES	48	178	26	52	6	4	1	19	3	14	0	.292	.248 (+17%)	.312 (+13%)	.323 (+20%)	.635 (+17%)	461.2
1918	ABC	WES	40	154	39	60	8	8	3	46	13	13	0	.390	.255 (+53%)	.318 (+37%)	.326 (+85%)	.645 (+61%)	1390.5
1919	CAG	WES	40	163	43	66	7	6	8	41	13	17	0	.405	.262 (+54%)	.322 (+44%)	.347 (+92%)	.670 (+69%)	1788.8
1919	DS	WES	5	16	4	5	2	0	0	2	3	2	0	.312	—	—	—	—	1788.8
1920	ABC	NNL	76	285	60	95	18	5	5	45	20	35	1	.333	.271 (+23%)	.331 (+23%)	.363 (+33%)	.694 (+28%)	1482.8
1921	SLG	NNL	62	226	90	98	12	10	12	74	35	34	2	.434	.286 (+51%)	.344 (+50%)	.395 (+86%)	.739 (+69%)	2939.0
1922	ABC	NNL	89	354	92	135	24	15	17	90	27	39	1	.381	.285 (+34%)	.345 (+28%)	.397 (+71%)	.743 (+51%)	3352.1
1923	ABC	NNL	84	308	68	112	25	6	11	94	25	48	0	.364	.282 (+29%)	.344 (+31%)	.390 (+51%)	.734 (+42%)	2543.6
1924	HBG	ECL	58	222	67	91	27	5	15	65	22	28	6	.410	.283 (+44%)	.345 (+39%)	.389 (+100%)	.734 (+71%)	2810.5
1925	HBG	ECL	71	255	97	109	23	3	20	97	17	51	0	.427	.288 (+48%)	.349 (+50%)	.407 (+91%)	.756 (+72%)	3640.8
1926	HBG	ECL	48	169	43	52	12	1	10	43	24	34	6	.308	.279 (+10%)	.345 (+27%)	.390 (+46%)	.735 (+37%)	1227.8
1927	HBG	ECL	69	247	68	98	20	6	13	73	21	49	0	.397	.282 (+41%)	.344 (+45%)	.392 (+74%)	.736 (+61%)	2941.1
1928	HIL	EAS	60	207	54	72	11	6	11	44	11	40	3	.348	.280 (+24%)	.342 (+32%)	.395 (+56%)	.737 (+45%)	1798.1
1929	HIL	ANL	78	278	69	100	21	7	7	62	8	54	0	.360	.289 (+24%)	.353 (+33%)	.415 (+35%)	.769 (+34%)	2036.7
1929	HG	ANL	4	13	2	6	2	0	0	2	0	2	1	.462	—	—	—	—	2036.7
1930	HG	IND	53	217	47	68	17	2	12	55	7	18	1	.313	.293 (+7%)	.354 (+5%)	.429 (+34%)	.784 (+21%)	804.3
1931	HG	IND	48	190	36	63	14	6	3	33	1	18	0	.332	.276 (+20%)	.338 (+16%)	.388 (+33%)	.726 (+25%)	797.0
1932	PC	IND	68	247	45	79	17	4	4	40	16	29	0	.320	.275 (+16%)	.335 (+18%)	.391 (+20%)	.726 (+19%)	903.6
1933	PC	NN2	70	262	69	89	19	7	14	67	7	25	0	.340	.270 (+26%)	.329 (+22%)	.377 (+66%)	.707 (+45%)	2015.2
1934	PC	NN2	59	200	35	64	10	2	7	41	6	27	3	.320	.278 (+15%)	.340 (+19%)	.392 (+26%)	.733 (+23%)	889.3
1935	PC	NN2	41	155	21	42	10	1	2	29	8	16	3	.271	.279 (-3%)	.342 (avg)	.399 (-3%)	.742 (-2%)	-31.3
1936	PC	NN2	32	93	18	32	8	0	4	18	0	13	1	.344	.283 (+21%)	.349 (+23%)	.404 (+38%)	.753 (+31%)	537.1
1937	PC	NN2	15	41	4	9	2	0	1	6	0	2	0	.220	—	—	—	—	0.0
1938	PC	NN2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0.0
1939	TC2	NN2	7	25	4	7	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	.280	—	—	—	—	0.0
1939	TC	NAL	10	33	5	10	2	0	1	6	1	5	0	.303	—	—	—	—	0.0
1940	TIC	NAL	8	17	2	6	1	0	0	1	1	3	0	.353	—	—	—	—	0.0
1941	PS	NN2	2	4	0	2	0	0	0	1	1	2	1	.500	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 31 seasons			1,336	4,903	1,164	1,718	329	112	183	1,139	311	647	29	.350	—	—	—	—	38,707

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Pitching Statistics

Oscar Charleston — Career Pitching Statistics
W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
3	6	30	14	5	0	0	157.0	157	78	11	69	63	4.47	-3280.8

Career ERA 4.47 vs. league average 3.47 across their career seasons — 28.7% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Oscar Charleston Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1915	ABC	WES	1	1	6	5	2	40.2	38	20	18	23	4.43	2.90 (-53%)	-1487.8
1916	NLS	EAS	0	0	1	0	0	1.2	1	0	0	1	0.00	—	0.0
1917	ABC	WES	0	0	3	1	0	16.1	6	3	9	7	1.65	2.69 (+39%)	-158.1
1918	ABC	WES	0	1	4	2	0	15.0	18	10	5	5	6.00	2.83 (-112%)	-574.0
1919	CAG	WES	1	0	1	1	1	9.0	4	1	3	5	1.00	3.09 (+68%)	0.0
1920	ABC	NNL	0	0	3	1	0	16.1	22	6	6	5	3.31	3.45 (+4%)	66.4
1921	SLG	NNL	0	0	2	0	0	4.2	13	6	1	2	11.57	—	0.0
1923	ABC	NNL	1	2	5	3	1	29.1	31	15	13	7	4.60	4.03 (-14%)	-292.5
1926	HBG	ECL	0	2	2	1	1	16.0	17	10	8	6	5.62	4.11 (-37%)	-834.9
1927	HBG	ECL	0	0	1	0	0	2.2	6	5	2	1	16.88	—	0.0
1933	PC	NN2	0	0	2	0	0	5.1	1	2	4	1	3.38	—	0.0
Career · 11 seasons			3	6	30	14	5	157.0	157	78	69	63	4.47	—	-3,281

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Oscar Charleston — Playoff Career Batting
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
7	26	4	8	0	0	3	5	4	1	.308

Playoff Batting by Year

Oscar Charleston — Playoff Batting by Year
Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1935	NLC	PC	7	26	4	8	0	0	3	5	4	1	.308

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (119 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Oscar Charleston — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	57	184	29	54	6	22	.293
Away	62	189	26	45	1	17	.238

Last 10 Games — Batting

Oscar Charleston — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	RBI	BB
1941-06-21	PH5	BLG	W	1	0	0	0	0	1
1940-08-18	IN8	KCM	L	1	0	1	0	1	0
1940-08-14	IN8	KCM	L	3	0	0	0	0	1
1940-08-02	IN8	KCM	L	1	0	1	1	0	0
1940-07-28	IN8	SNO	L	1	0	0	0	0	0
1940-07-26	IN8	SNO	W	3	1	1	0	0	1
1940-07-21	IN8	MEM	L	3	0	2	0	0	0
1940-07-18	IN8	MEM	L	0	0	0	0	0	1
1940-06-09	IN8	CV9	L	0	0	0	0	0	0
1939-08-20	TLC	CV9	L	1	0	0	0	0	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Oscar Charleston — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	476	453	4526	181	84	234
3B	1	1	2	3	0	0
OF	846	594	1690	118	56	27
P	30	6	6	52	3	4
PH	1	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Oscar Charleston — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1915	ABC	OF	55	0	116	9	2	2
1915	ABC	P	6	0	3	16	2	1
1916	NLS	OF	15	0	30	6	1	2
1916	NLS	P	1	0	0	1	0	0
1916	ABC	OF	18	0	26	1	2	0
1917	ABC	1B	3	0	24	1	0	2
1917	ABC	OF	46	0	101	3	3	1
1917	ABC	P	3	0	1	7	0	0
1918	ABC	1B	1	0	8	0	0	0
1918	ABC	OF	40	0	86	11	4	1
1918	ABC	P	4	0	1	5	0	0
1919	CAG	OF	39	39	94	6	2	2
1919	CAG	P	1	1	0	3	0	0
1919	DS	OF	6	5	14	1	2	1
1920	ABC	1B	1	1	13	1	0	1
1920	ABC	OF	75	74	174	16	1	3
1920	ABC	P	3	1	0	2	1	0
1921	SLG	OF	62	62	111	8	4	1
1921	SLG	P	2	0	0	2	0	0
1922	ABC	1B	9	9	101	3	3	2
1922	ABC	OF	80	80	194	9	5	3
1923	ABC	1B	46	45	484	18	10	25
1923	ABC	OF	39	35	84	8	5	2
1923	ABC	P	5	3	1	12	0	3
1924	HBG	1B	3	1	25	0	0	0
1924	HBG	OF	58	57	135	9	1	2
1925	HBG	1B	3	0	0	0	0	0
1925	HBG	OF	68	0	0	0	0	0
1926	HBG	1B	3	3	25	2	1	1
1926	HBG	3B	1	1	2	3	0	0
1926	HBG	OF	43	43	87	5	2	1
1926	HBG	P	2	1	0	1	0	0
1927	HBG	OF	69	69	158	12	6	3
1927	HBG	P	1	0	0	0	0	0
1928	HIL	1B	7	6	44	4	1	6
1928	HIL	OF	54	54	114	6	5	2
1929	HIL	1B	9	9	95	4	0	6
1929	HIL	OF	71	69	149	8	11	1
1929	HG	1B	1	0	6	0	0	0
1929	HG	OF	4	4	7	0	0	0
1930	HG	1B	53	53	547	24	7	26
1931	HG	1B	48	48	457	29	8	20
1932	PC	1B	68	67	682	17	15	31
1933	PC	1B	67	67	604	21	11	29
1933	PC	P	2	0	0	3	0	0
1934	PC	1B	59	56	525	16	6	32
1935	PC	1B	37	36	356	16	7	17
1935	PC	OF	2	2	7	0	0	0
1936	PC	1B	28	23	241	12	5	19
1937	PC	1B	10	10	105	4	2	6
1938	PC	PH	1	0	0	0	0	0
1939	TC2	1B	7	7	63	3	2	5
1939	TC	1B	9	9	82	3	6	4
1940	TIC	1B	2	2	18	1	0	1
1940	TIC	OF	2	1	3	0	0	0
1941	PS	1B	2	1	21	2	0	1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Oscar Charleston Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Pitcher	30
First Base	476
Third Base	1
Left Field	13
Center Field	814
Right Field	19

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Compare Oscar Charleston

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Oscar Charleston: the record in brief

The season rows for Oscar Charleston begin in 1915. The season rows list, in order, the Indianapolis ABCs (1915 to 1923), the New York Lincoln Stars (1916), the Chicago American Giants (1919), the Detroit Stars (1919), the St. Louis Giants (1921), the Harrisburg Giants (1924 through 1927), the Hilldale Club (1928 through 1929), and the Homestead Grays (1929 to 1931), among other clubs in the table. Charleston, born on October 14, 1896, in Indianapolis, IN, USA, is listed as a center fielder and threw and hit left-handed. Size on record: 185 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. Charleston died on October 5, 1954, in Philadelphia, PA, USA. On the record, Oscar Charleston was born Oscar McKinley Charleston.

Charleston finished with 1,718 hits from 4,903 at bats in 1,336 games, which works out to .350, plus 183 homers, 1,139 RBI, and 311 stolen bases. The on-base percentage is .430 and the slugging percentage .575, for an OPS of 1.005.

Frequently Asked Questions about Oscar Charleston

Was Oscar Charleston a pitcher?: Both. Oscar Charleston pitched in 30 games, going 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA, but spent most of his career as a Center Fielder.
How many home runs did Oscar Charleston hit?: Oscar Charleston hit 183 career home runs with 1,718 hits.
Is Oscar Charleston in the Hall of Fame?: Yes. Oscar Charleston was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
What teams did Oscar Charleston play for?: Oscar Charleston played for 10 teams: the Indianapolis ABCs (1915–1918, 1920, 1922–1923), the New York Lincoln Stars (1916), the Chicago American Giants (1919), the Detroit Stars (1919), the St. Louis Giants (1921), the Harrisburg Giants (1924–1927), the Hilldale Club (1928–1929), the Homestead Grays (1929–1931), the Toledo-Indianapolis Crawfords (1932–1940), and the Philadelphia Stars (1941).
Did Oscar Charleston win an MVP award?: No. Oscar Charleston did not win the MVP award.
What awards did Oscar Charleston win?: Oscar Charleston was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
What were Oscar Charleston's career stats?: In 1,336 games, Oscar Charleston had 1,718 hits, 183 home runs, 1,139 RBI, 1,164 runs, and 311 stolen bases, with a .350 batting average. As a pitcher, in 30 games, he went 3-6 with a 4.47 ERA, 63 strikeouts, and 157.0 innings pitched.
What position did Oscar Charleston play?: Oscar Charleston played primarily as a center fielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Oscar Charleston and how much did he weigh?: Oscar Charleston was listed at 5 feet 8 inches and 185 pounds.
How many home runs did Oscar Charleston hit each season?: Oscar Charleston's home runs by season: 2 in 1915, 0 in 1916, 1 in 1917, 3 in 1918, 8 in 1919, 5 in 1920, 12 in 1921, 17 in 1922, 11 in 1923, 15 in 1924, 20 in 1925, 10 in 1926, 13 in 1927, 11 in 1928, 7 in 1929, 12 in 1930, 3 in 1931, 4 in 1932, 14 in 1933, 7 in 1934, 2 in 1935, 4 in 1936, 1 in 1937, 0 in 1938, 1 in 1939, 0 in 1940, and 0 in 1941. His most in one season was 20, in 1925.
What was Oscar Charleston's career batting average?: Oscar Charleston batted .350 over his career, with 1,718 hits in 4,903 at bats.
How many RBI did Oscar Charleston have?: Oscar Charleston drove in 1,139 runs in his career.
What was Oscar Charleston's career ERA?: Oscar Charleston finished with a 4.47 career ERA, going 3-6 with 63 strikeouts.
How many All-Star Games did Oscar Charleston make?: Oscar Charleston was selected to 3 All-Star Games.