Valentín Dreke

Valentín Dreke
Outfielder
Born: (1898-06-21)June 21, 1898
Union de Reyes, Cuba
Died: September 25, 1929(1929-09-25) (aged 31)
Cuba
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Negro leagues debut
1919, for the Cuban Stars East
Last Negro leagues appearance
1927, for the Cuban Stars West
Negro leagues[a] statistics
Batting average.330
Hits619
Home runs15
Runs batted in264
Stolen bases60
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Member of the Cuban
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1945

Valentín Dreke (June 21, 1898 – September 25, 1929) was a Cuban baseball outfielder in the Negro leagues. He played from 1919 to 1927, doing so with the Cuban Stars (East) and Cuban Stars (West). He also played winter ball with the famed Almendares team on three occasions. He led the Negro National League in batting average in 1924, hitting .389 in 46 games played. In his eight years of Negro league ball, he batted at least .296 in each season. [2] He died of tuberculosis in 1929.[3] He was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball declared the Negro leagues, from the span of 1920–1948, to be a "Major League".[1] Dreke's statistics reflect his time in the Negro leagues from 1920 until the end of his career.

References

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  1. ^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Riley, James A. (1994). The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues. New York: Carroll & Graf. ISBN 0-7867-0959-6.
  3. ^ Early Exits: The Premature Endings of Baseball Careers
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