Max Carey (1961)


Date of Birth: 1/11/1890
Date of Death: 5/30/1976
Birthplace: Terre Haute, Indiana
College: Concordia Theological Seminary

Max Carey was an all-around athlete at Concordia Theological Seminary in Indiana, playing on the baseball, swimming, and track and field teams. In 1909 and 1910, he played professional baseball in the Central League. His contract was purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 15, 1910.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Carey played in just two games with the Pirates in 1910. The following year, his first full season in the major leagues, he batted .258 with 110 hits, 15 doubles, 10 triples, and 27 stolen bases in 129 games.

Carey batted .302 in 150 games in 1912. He had 177 hits, 23 doubles, and 45 stolen bases. He walked 61 times and he struck out 79 times. He played well defensively, leading NL left fielders in putouts with 358.

A speedy runner, Carey led the NL in stolen bases ten times. He did it for the first time in 1913, when he had 61 stolen bases. That season, he batted .277 with 172 hits and 23 doubles in 154 games.

In 1914, Carey led the NL in games played and in triples. He had 144 hits, 25 doubles, a career high 17 triples, 38 stolen bases, and a .243 batting average in a career high 156 games.

From 1915 through 1918, Carey led the NL in stolen bases. He had 36 stolen bases in 1915, a career high 63 in 1916, 46 in 1917, and 58 in 1918.

Carey batted .254 in 140 games in 1915. The next season, his batting average went up to .264 in 154 games. He had a better season in 1917, when he batted .296 with 174 hits and 21 doubles in 155 games. In 1918, he led the NL in walks with 62 (to 25 strikeouts). That year, he batted .274 with 128 hits in 126 games.

A good defensive player, Carey led all NL center fielders in putouts in 1916 (370), 1917 (439), and 1918 (359). He led them again in 1921 with 431, 1922 with 447, 1923 with 450, and 1924 with 428.

In 1920, Carey again led the NL in stolen bases with 52. He finished the season with 140 hits, 18 doubles, 35 RBIs, and a .289 batting average in 130 games. The following season, he batted .309 with 161 hits, 34 doubles, and 45 RBIs in 140 games.

Carey had a strong season in 1922, leading the NL in stolen bases and in walks. He had a career high 207 hits, 28 doubles, 12 triples, a career high 10 home runs, 70 RBIs, 51 stolen bases, a career high 80 walks to 26 strikeouts, and a .329 batting average in 155 games.

Carey led the NL in triples and in stolen bases in 1923. He finished the season with 188 hits, 32 doubles, a career high 19 triples, 51 stolen bases, 63 RBIs, and a .308 batting average. He walked 73 times and struck out just 28 times.

Carey again led the NL in stolen bases in 1924 with 49, and in 1925 with 46. He batted .297 with 178 hits, 30 doubles, and 55 RBIs in 149 games in 1924. The next year, he had 186 hits, a career high 39 doubles, 13 triples, 44 RBIs, and a .343 batting average in 133 games.

Brooklyn Dodgers

The Brooklyn Dodgers claimed Carey off waivers on August 13, 1926. He finished the season with 98 hits and a .231 batting average in 86 games with the Pirates and 27 games with the Dodgers. The next year, he played in 144 games, and he batted .266 with 143 hits, 30 doubles, 32 stolen bases, and 54 RBIs.

Carey batted .247 with 73 hits in 108 games in 1928. He played in just 19 games in 1929.

MLB Records

  • Led NL in triples (2 times)
  • Led NL in stolen bases (10 times)
  • Led NL in walks (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Carey in 18 full seasons (1911-1928) in the major leagues include:

  • 9 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 207 in 1922
  • 5 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 39 in 1925
  • 9 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 19 in 1923
  • 15 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 63 in 1916
  • 6 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .343 in 1925

Career batting statistics for Carey include:

  • 2,476 games played
  • 2,665 hits
  • 419 doubles
  • 159 triples
  • 738 stolen bases
  • 695 strikeouts to 1,040 walks
  • .285 batting average
  • .361 on-base percentage
  • .747 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Carey as a center fielder include:

  • 1,542 games played
  • 172 errors
  • 215 assists
  • 4,369 putouts
  • .964 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

After ending his career as a major league player, Carey returned to the Brooklyn Dodgers as their manager in 1932 and 1933. His record as a manager was 146 wins to 161 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Max Carey
ESPN - Max Carey
Baseball Reference - Max Carey

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