The reigning 1956 batting champion of the Triple-A American Association, who received a one-month, 23-game trial with the 1956 St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball, Peete was projected by some as the leading candidate to be the Cardinals' 1957 starting center fielder,[1] but he was killed in a commercial airplane crash near the Caracas airport in Venezuela while flying to his winter-league baseball team in late November 1956.

[2] Despite his premature death, Peete played a key role in the integration of professional baseball during the American civil rights movement and was among the first Black players in the history of the Cardinals organization.

[7] Despite the disappointing results from his midseason callup, Peete was projected as a prime candidate for the Redbirds' 1957 centerfielder job; incumbent Bobby Del Greco had batted only .215 during 1956.

[1] To gain more experience, Peete decided to play winter baseball, and after drawing his release from a Cuban team because of a slow start, he joined the Valencia club in the Venezuelan league.

Peete was headed to join the league when died at age 27; he and his family were on board Linea Aeropostal Flight 253 when the airliner crashed into Avila Mountain, near Caracas, during a rainstorm.