Charlie Peete, a highly regarded Cardinals outfield prospect, died in a violent accident as he was on the verge of fulfilling his potential with the big-league club.
On Nov. 27, 1956, four months after he made his major-league debut with the Cardinals, Peete, 27, was killed in an airplane crash in Venezuela. His wife and three children also died in the crash.
Peete was a potent left-handed batter. Playing for the Cardinals’ Omaha affiliate, managed by Johnny Keane, Peete was the 1956 batting champion of the Class AAA American Association. Peete was planning to play winter ball before reporting to spring training as a strong contender for a starting spot in the Cardinals’ outfield.
Path to the majors
Peete was born on Feb. 22, 1929, in Franklin, Va., and went to high school in Portsmouth, Va. After serving a two-year hitch in the Army, Peete began his professional baseball career with the independent Portsmouth team in the Piedmont League. The Cardinals signed him in 1954 and he advanced to Class AAA the following year. Because of his thick build (190 pounds) on a short frame (5 feet 9), Peete was nicknamed “Mule.”
In July 1956, Peete was promoted from Omaha to the Cardinals. Hampered by a split thumb, he hit .192 in 23 games for St. Louis and made 13 starts in center field.
There were some highlights.
Peete got his first major-league hit, a single to left, off the Dodgers’ Roger Craig on July 21, 1956, at St. Louis. Boxscore
Five days later, July 26, Peete had his most significant game in the majors, hitting a two-run triple off Phillies ace Robin Roberts, giving the Cardinals a 7-6 lead and propelling them to a 14-9 victory at Philadelphia. Boxscore
Peete also had a RBI-triple against the Pirates’ Ron Kline on Aug. 1 at Pittsburgh. Boxscore
Peete had his batting average above .250 before going into an 0-for-13 tailspin that led to his being sent back to Omaha. He finished the minor-league season with a .350 batting mark, winning the American Association hitting crown. The runner-up was Yankees prospect Tony Kubek (.331).
The Sporting News suggested Peete’s performance “made him one of the brightest prospects in the Redbirds system” and described him as a “highly regarded outfielder.”
Omaha general manager Bill Bergesch predicted to the Associated Press that Peete would be a Cardinals contributor in 1957. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Bergesch said. “He can do everything the rest of them (in the majors) do _ plus hit the ball a little harder than most.”
Disaster in Venezuela
Accepting a chance to play winter ball in Cuba, Peete signed with a Cienfuegos team that included Senators pitchers Camilo Pascual and Pedro Ramos. Peete expected to spend the winter in Cuba, but he slumped early and was released.
The Valencia team in the Venezuela winter league wanted Peete. He could have flown from Cuba to Venezuela to begin play. Instead, Peete chose to return to the United States to meet his wife, Nettie, and their children, Ken, Karen and Deborah, and bring them to Venezuela with him.
At 10 p.m. on Nov. 26, the Peete family boarded a commercial flight at Idlewild Airport in New York. The plane was scheduled to arrive in Caracas at about 7 a.m. on Nov. 27.
The flight was late. At 8:05 a.m., the French pilot, Capt. Marcel Combalbert, 34, radioed to the control tower that he was preparing his approach to the airport.
It was raining and foggy. Clouds limited visibility.
About two miles from the airport, the four-engine Constellation slammed into a 6,000-foot mountain top. All 25 people _ 18 passengers and seven crew _ on board were killed.
Previously: Oscar Taveras, Eddie Morgan: Flashy starts to Cardinals careers
RetroSimba 
In looking up some things on Charlie Peete I came across the tragic story and death of Austin McHenry. Charlie had great potential and would have done wonders in doing away with the prejudices that still existed in the Cardinal organization regarding minority players. And with what I read on Austin, he seemed destined for greatness. Too bad neither of them got to fulfill their potential.
Yes, without Charlie Peete, the Cardinals ended up shifting Ken Boyer from third base to play center field in 1957.
Beautiful story and interesting insight on how Peete’s death caused Kenny Boyer to be shifted to CF the next year. Peete was from Portsmouth, Va., where I work for a museum that is putting together an exhibit about the contributions of baseball to the culture of the black community of the city. This information will be tremendously helpful. Thanks! Bruce Ebert ebertb@portsmouthva.gov
Thank you for reading and for commenting, Bruce. I wish you much success with the museum exhibit. What a wonderful idea and noble effort.
Thank you.
He had a brother, James Peete, who played for several minor league teams in the 1950s. Very little is written about him online and for all the people we have spoken with about Charles, none ever mentioned that he had a brother!
Don’t mean to take an inordinate amount of space, but in Portsmouth there is the Charles Peete Little League, named after him, and there are still people around who remember him. He is a real local legend, not forgotten. Bruce
Thank you for the insight, Bruce. It is helpful to know about the Little League field named in memory of Charlie Peete and to know he isn’t forgotten. It is a credit to the people of Portsmouth that he is remembered and cherished.
I’m 73 now living in So Dakota , as a child my mom an a neighbor lady both would take there sons ,to Rosenblatt stadium my 2 favorite cardinals ,were Charlie Pete anTom Houston .my best friend mom would ask me to bet on my cardinals .She usually would take the Visitor’s.And till this day don’t think much of All the casinos (we usually bet a Whole Nickel) .I stand when a ball hit to center field just to watch Charlie make those catches. When the cardinals played away or during the College World Series we’d ride our bicycles to the early games Watch ALL 3 (Long day) and ride home in the dark , making sure you had a fresh battery on that front fender not to hit any chuck holes ( but mostly so the boogie man won’t get ja. Gone are those days splendor in the cheap seats .As life would have it I got to play in that ballpark Twice (Hi school) Never the Greats who played on that same field . Some days I can sit back and still smell those Hotdogs . Charlie /Tom R.I.P.
Thank you for commenting and sharing those heartfelt memories, Mike. You expressed your remembrances quite well. What a wonderful and simpler time.