Was Duke Cleveland a pitcher?

No. Duke Cleveland was a position player (Right Fielder).

How many home runs did Duke Cleveland hit?

Duke Cleveland hit 2 career home runs with 170 hits.

What was Duke Cleveland's career batting average?

Duke Cleveland batted .277 over his career, with 170 hits in 613 at bats.

How many RBI did Duke Cleveland have?

Duke Cleveland drove in 72 runs in his career.

Is Duke Cleveland in the Hall of Fame?

No. Duke Cleveland has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

What teams did Duke Cleveland play for?

Duke Cleveland played for the Jacksonville Red Caps, the Cleveland Bears, the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes, the Cleveland Buckeyes, and the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns.

Duke Cleveland

Right Fielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records

Duke Cleveland was a right fielder who played in Major League Baseball for 5 teams, including the Jacksonville Red Caps. In 165 career games, he hit .277 with 170 hits, 2 home runs, and 72 RBI. Duke Cleveland was an All-Star. His totals include Negro Leagues seasons, which MLB recognized as major league in 2020.

AVG (Batting Average):: Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):: Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):: Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):: On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated September 9, 2026

AVG .277

HR 2

RBI 72

H 170

OPS .689

PIV -273

Position: Right Fielder
Bats / Throws: L / R
Height / Weight: 6'1" / 190 lb
Born: 11/25/1916 in Alapaha, GA, USA
Died: 8/13/1970 in Jacksonville, FL, USA
Awards: All-Star

Full name: Howard Cleveland

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Negro Leagues Career Statistics

Batting

Duke Cleveland — Batting
PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
638.0	567.0	106.0	174.0	20.0	6.0	4.0	47.0	63.0	7.0	23.0	.307	.381	.384	.765

Career Batting Statistics

Duke Cleveland — Career Batting Statistics
G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
165	613	116	170	20	6	2	72	19	63	7	.277	.349	.339	.689	-273

Career AVG .277 vs. league average .263 across their career seasons — +5.4% above league average.

Career OBP .349 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .339 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 8.8% below league average.

Career OPS .689 vs. league average .705 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Duke Cleveland Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1938	JRC	NAL	13	59	16	14	0	0	0	5	1	3	2	.237	.272 (-13%)	.341 (-20%)	.392 (-40%)	.734 (-30%)	-282.6
1939	CBR	NAL	22	72	15	16	2	0	0	5	0	13	1	.222	.274 (-19%)	.342 (avg)	.393 (-36%)	.735 (-20%)	-186.5
1940	CBR	NAL	28	102	24	34	5	0	0	14	7	15	1	.333	.267 (+25%)	.335 (+26%)	.387 (-1%)	.722 (+11%)	275.5
1941	JRC	NAL	11	43	8	19	2	3	0	11	1	4	0	.442	—	—	—	—	0.0
1942	JRC	NAL	6	22	2	5	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	.227	—	—	—	—	0.0
1942	CCB	NAL	34	125	25	36	4	0	1	13	3	12	0	.288	.253 (+14%)	.323 (+13%)	.349 (-2%)	.672 (+5%)	0.0
1943	CBE	NAL	26	92	12	22	3	0	1	8	4	7	1	.239	.255 (-7%)	.324 (-10%)	.346 (-12%)	.671 (-11%)	-155.0
1946	CIC	NAL	23	92	14	23	4	2	0	15	3	8	2	.250	.256 (-3%)	.328 (-4%)	.358 (-6%)	.687 (-5%)	-77.9
1947	CIC	NAL	2	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.167	—	—	—	—	0.0
Career · 9 seasons			165	613	116	170	20	6	2	72	19	63	7	.277	—	—	—	—	-426

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (129 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Duke Cleveland — Batting — Home / Away
Split	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	AVG
Home	62	204	38	62	1	13	.304
Away	67	217	37	70	1	25	.323

Last 10 Games — Batting

Duke Cleveland — Last 10 Games — Batting
Date	Tm	Opp	Res	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO
1946-09-14	IN9	KCM	L	4	1	2	1	0	0	0	1	0
1946-09-01	IN9	KCM	L	2	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0
1946-09-01	IN9	KCM	W	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1946-08-30	IN9	KCM	L	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1
1946-08-30	IN9	KCM	W	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
1946-08-29	IN9	CAG	L	3	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
1946-08-28	IN9	CAG	L	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
1946-08-11	IN9	BIR	W	0	1	1	0	0	1	3	0	0
1946-07-29	IN9	KCM	L	5	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
1946-07-23	IN9	KCM	W	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Duke Cleveland — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
3B	1	1	0	0	0	0
OF	167	161	242	25	12	4

Season-by-Season Fielding

Duke Cleveland — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1938	JRC	OF	13	13	20	1	0	0
1939	CBR	OF	23	21	37	8	3	2
1940	CBR	OF	29	28	32	7	1	0
1941	JRC	OF	11	11	25	3	0	1
1942	JRC	OF	6	6	7	0	1	0
1942	CCB	OF	35	33	47	2	5	0
1943	CBE	3B	1	1	0	0	0	0
1943	CBE	OF	25	25	30	2	1	0
1946	CIC	OF	23	23	41	1	0	1
1947	CIC	OF	2	1	3	1	1	0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Duke Cleveland Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position	Games
Third Base	1
Left Field	56
Center Field	27
Right Field	84

Frequently Asked Questions about Duke Cleveland

Was Duke Cleveland a pitcher?: No. Duke Cleveland was a position player (Right Fielder).
How many home runs did Duke Cleveland hit?: Duke Cleveland hit 2 career home runs with 170 hits.
What was Duke Cleveland's career batting average?: Duke Cleveland batted .277 over his career, with 170 hits in 613 at bats.
How many RBI did Duke Cleveland have?: Duke Cleveland drove in 72 runs in his career.
Is Duke Cleveland in the Hall of Fame?: No. Duke Cleveland has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
What teams did Duke Cleveland play for?: Duke Cleveland played for the Jacksonville Red Caps, the Cleveland Bears, the Cincinnati-Cleveland Buckeyes, the Cleveland Buckeyes, and the Cincinnati-Indianapolis Clowns.