Maximilian George Carnarius was born January 11, 1890, in Terre Haute, Indiana. At first, Max showed little desire to play baseball, despite his talents at a young age. Instead, he chose to become a Lutheran priest, entered divinity school at Concordia College in 1907. Little did he know he would become one of history's greatest thieves.
While still attending school, Maximilian took on the name Max Carey to protect his college eligibility while he played minor league baseball. Upon graduation, he found his way to the Pittsburgh Pirates tryouts that summer, and by 1910 he had been called up to join the team as a backup to the legendary Fred Clarke. By mid-1911, player-manager Clarke had reduced his role on the team and Max took over as starting leftfielder for the Bucs.
Max's primary skill was his speed. Over the years, he led the league in swipes ten times, and also holds the current National League record for steals of home plate with an astounding 33 in his career. He also became a dominant fielder, setting team and league records in putouts, assists, and, amazingly enough, double plays! He was frequently seen hustling towards the infield to help turn two for the squad.
From 1910 to 1921, Max was a solid hitter, but in 1922, he had a breakout year at the plate, batting .329 and clubbing a career-high 10 home runs. That same year on July 7, Max has one of most spectacular games by one player in major league history, collecting 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 stolen bases, and 5 runs in an 18 inning barnstormer with the New York Giants. That year, his speed was at its finest, as he stole 31 bases in a row without being caught during a stretch and finished with 51 steals in 53 attempts - still the modern record for stolen base percentage by a league leader.
Carey continued to play above-average outfield (he moved to centerfield in 1918) for the Pirates - even leading them to a World Series championship in 1925 - but by 1926 the 36 year old "Scoops", as he was called by his appreciative fans, had seen a major decline in his play. Slumping at .222, he overheard Clarke say he intended to bench Carey in favor of himself. This didn't sit well with Max, who protested so vehemently that the front office came down and made a decision: they suspended Carey, and by the August, he was playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Max spent two more years with the Dodgers before hanging up his uniform in 1929. He finished with 738 steals, 5th all-time when he retired, and 2665 career hits. He also finished third all-time in putouts, chances, and assists for outfielders, just behind Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker.
In 1931, the Dodgers named Carey their new manager. He couldn't turn the team's fortunes around, and after two years at the helm, stepped down with a career 146-161 record with the team. Perhaps his most lasting contribution was selecting former outfielder Casey Stengel as a coach, paving the way for the remarkable career of one of the funniest men in baseball. He began scouting for his old squad the Pirates that year, and spent the rest of his career in and out of baseball. He even traveled to Japan as a coach of barnstorming teams in the late 1930s to help spread baseball there. In 1944, he was named a manager of the Grand Rapids Chicks in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, where he also served as president for the 1945 season. Ever the traveler, Carey took barnstorming women's teams to Cuba, Venezuela, and Japan in the 1940's and 50's. He finally retired altogether in 1968.
Max was elected by the Veterans Committee into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1961. He passed away May 30, 1976 in Miami, Florida.
Career Statistics
YEAR TEAM G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA
1910 PIT NL 2 6 2 3 0 1 0 2 0 2 1 .500
1911 PIT NL 129 427 77 110 15 10 5 43 27 44 75 .258
1912 PIT NL 150 587 114 177 23 8 5 66 45 61 79 .302
1913 PIT NL 154 620 99 172 23 10 5 49 61 55 67 .277
1914 PIT NL 156 593 76 144 25 17 1 31 38 59 56 .243
1915 PIT NL 140 564 76 143 26 5 3 27 36 17 57 58 .254
1916 PIT NL 154 599 90 158 23 11 7 42 63 19 59 58 .264
1917 PIT NL 155 588 82 174 21 12 1 51 46 58 38 .296
1918 PIT NL 126 468 70 128 14 6 3 48 58 62 25 .274
1919 PIT NL 66 244 41 75 10 2 0 9 18 25 24 .307
1920 PIT NL 130 485 74 140 18 4 1 35 52 10 59 31 .289
1921 PIT NL 140 521 85 161 34 4 7 56 37 12 70 30 .309
1922 PIT NL 155 629 140 207 28 12 10 70 51 2 80 26 .329
1923 PIT NL 153 610 120 188 32 19 6 63 51 8 73 28 .308
1924 PIT NL 149 599 113 178 30 9 8 55 49 13 58 17 .297
1925 PIT NL 133 542 109 186 39 13 5 44 46 11 66 19 .343
1926 PIT NL 86 324 46 72 14 5 0 28 10 30 14 .222
BRO NL 27 100 18 26 3 1 0 7 0 8 5 .260
TOT NL 113 424 64 98 17 6 0 35 10 38 19 .231
1927 BRO NL 144 538 70 143 30 10 1 54 32 64 18 .266
1928 BRO NL 108 296 41 73 11 0 2 19 18 47 24 .247
1929 BRO NL 19 23 2 7 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 .304
CAREER 2476 9363 1545 2665 419 159 70 800 738 92 1040 695 .285
* Bold denotes led league.
Hall of Fame Index
Rod Carew | Steve Carlton