The class of 1961 contained only two new inductees, but it was the cream of the crop for center fielders, with Max Carey and Billy Hamilton being enshrined into baseball immortality.

Max Carey: Center Fielder, Pittsburgh Pirates

.285 average, 1545 runs, 2665 hits, 70 home runs, 800 RBI, 738 stolen bases

Max Carey was an extremely talented center fielder that played for 20 seasons in the MLB, with 17 of those seasons being with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This legendary player was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee, and rightfully so! He compiled over 2,600 career hits, hit over .300 in a season six times, and led the league in steals on ten different occasions. Even though he wasn’t known for his offense, he is 42nd on the all-time list for career triples (159), 9th all-time in stolen bases (738), and 13th in career sacrifice hits (290). During his career in the league, he patrolled the outfield for 2,421 games, which is the 12th highest total in history. During that time in the field, he registered 3,201 put outs and 133 assists. He helped the Pirates win the World Series in 1925 with a .343 regular season averaged, then kicked it into high gear with a  .458 average in the post season. All those great players bring it to another level when the stakes are high, and that’s what Carey was able to do.

Billy Hamilton: Center Fielder, Philadelphia Phillies

.344 average, 1691 runs, 2157 hits, 40 home runs, 742 RBI, 937 stolen bases

Billy Hamilton was a special player during his 14-year career, which spanned from 1888 to 1901. He has the seventh highest career batting average in Major League history, and did so by hitting over .300 for 12 consecutive years. Hamilton has the fourth highest career on-base% (.455) and led the league five times. He has the distinct honor of being one of only three players in MLB history that has more runs scored (1,691) than games played (1,578). Over a five year period from 1891 to 1897, nobody in the National League accumulated more walks than Hamilton. To put the cherry on top, he was the all-time leader in stolen bases until Lou Brock and Rickey Henderson passed him later on. How dangerous was Hamilton on the base paths? He still owns the MLB record for most stolen bases in one game with seven thefts, which he did back in August of 1894. That’s pretty damn good.

Come back next week, as we look at the class of 1962, which holds three more special players.