Pete Hill
| Birthdate | 10/12/1882 |
| Death Date | 11/26/1951 |
| Debut Year | 1904 |
| Year of Induction | 2006 |
| Teams | Negro Leagues |
| Position | Center Field |
In a 1952 poll, Pete Hill was named the 4th-best OFer in Negro League history behind Oscar Charleston, Monte Irvin, and Cristobal Torriente.
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Negro Leaguer Pete Hill was elected to the Hall more than a half-century after his death
Negro Leaguer Pete Hill was elected to the Hall more than a half-century after his death
Playing most of his career in the pre-Negro leagues era, Pete Hill became one of the most feared line-drive hitters in the game. His baseball years ran roughly from 1889 to the mid-1920s and involved some of the pioneering programs of black baseball.
Baseball Reference lists Hill’s statistics in the National Negro League and the Eastern Colored League from 1920-1925. The outfielder and first baseman hit .303 with a .410 on-base percentage. His OPS+ was 134.
According to the Hall of Fame’s website, renown baseball historian said the Hill joins Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker as the greatest outfielders of the day.
Hill died more than five decades before his induction into the baseball Hall of Fame. His autograph remains elusive for even the most advanced collectors.
In 2006 Hill was part of the Hall's largest class of inductees that totaled 17
In 2006 Hill was part of the Hall's largest class of inductees that totaled 17
In 2005, the Hall of Fame put together a special screening committee to find people associated with the Negro Leagues who were most deserving of induction.
An original list of 94 nominees was cut to 29 candidates and finally 17 new members of the Hall of Fame to be inducted in 2006. The cover of the 2006 Hall of Fame yearbook shows those 17 and including Pete Hill.
Reliever Bruce Sutter was also inducted.
While the induction of the 17 Negro Leaguers was welcomed, many believe there are additional deserving candidates. Twelve of the candidates on the final list for consideration did not make the cut in 2006.
