Flea Clifton
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1934-1937)
Flea Clifton was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1937 for the Detroit Tigers, a span of 4 seasons. In 87 career games, he hit .200 with 39 hits and 13 RBI.
- 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
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 160 lb
- Died
- 12/22/1997 in Cincinnati, OH, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1934-04-29
- Last Game
- 1937-07-01
Full name: Herman Earl Clifton
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 195 | 27 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 28 | .200 | .268 | .236 | .504 | -692 |
Career AVG .200 vs. league average .280 across their career seasons — 28.5% below league average.
Career OBP .268 vs. league average .344 across their career seasons — 22.2% below league average.
Career SLG .236 vs. league average .399 across their career seasons — 40.8% below league average.
Career OPS .504 vs. league average .743 across their career seasons — 32.2% below league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | DET | AL | 16 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .062 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1935 | DET | AL | 43 | 110 | 15 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 13 | .255 | .279 (-9%) | .342 (-14%) | .399 (-25%) | .742 (-20%) | -358.8 |
| 1936 | DET | AL | 13 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | .192 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1937 | DET | AL | 15 | 43 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | .116 | — | — | — | — | -333.7 |
| Career · 4 seasons | 87 | 195 | 27 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 28 | .200 | — | — | — | — | -692 | ||
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 (87 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 60 | 150 | 17 | 29 | 0 | 11 | .193 |
| Away | 27 | 45 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 2 | .222 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937-07-01 | DET | CHW | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-27 | DET | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-24 | DET | BOS | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937-06-23 | DET | BOS | L | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937-06-20 | DET | PHA | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1937-06-16 | DET | MIN | L | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-15 | DET | MIN | W | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1937-06-13 | DET | BOS | W | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1937-06-12 | DET | BOS | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1937-06-12 | DET | BOS | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2B | 10 | 0 | 19 | 28 | 4 | 5 |
| 3B | 34 | 0 | 33 | 56 | 6 | 4 |
| SS | 14 | 0 | 18 | 27 | 2 | 5 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1934 | DET | 3B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1935 | DET | 2B | 5 | 0 | 12 | 19 | 0 | 3 |
| 1935 | DET | 3B | 21 | 0 | 22 | 35 | 4 | 2 |
| 1935 | DET | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 1936 | DET | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1936 | DET | 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 1936 | DET | SS | 6 | 0 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| 1937 | DET | 2B | 3 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| 1937 | DET | 3B | 7 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| 1937 | DET | SS | 4 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 10 |
| Third Base | 34 |
| Shortstop | 14 |
Flea Clifton: the record in brief
According to the bio, Flea Clifton debuted on April 29, 1934 and played a final game on July 1, 1937. Clifton's only club in the season tables is the Detroit Tigers. Listed as a third baseman, Clifton batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds. Clifton was born on December 12, 1908, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Clifton died on December 22, 1997, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. Clifton's full given name, per the bio, is Herman Earl Clifton.
Clifton finished with 39 hits from 195 at bats in 87 games, which works out to .200; the totals also include 13 RBI. Clifton got on base at a .268 rate and slugged .236 (.504 OPS). Clifton's .200 average ran 28.5% below the .280 that the league posted over the same seasons. The OPS comparison is .504 to a league .743, 32.2% below average. Clifton collected a career-high 28 hits in 1935. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .255 in 1935, did not top the league's .279.
October added 4 games of playoff batting for Clifton: 0 hits in 16 at bats. The postseason years listed are 1935.
Frequently Asked Questions about Flea Clifton
- What years did Flea Clifton play?
- Flea Clifton played in Major League Baseball from 1934 to 1937.
- Was Flea Clifton a pitcher?
- No. Flea Clifton was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Flea Clifton hit?
- Flea Clifton hit 0 career home runs with 39 hits.
- What was Flea Clifton's career batting average?
- Flea Clifton batted .200 over his career, with 39 hits in 195 at bats.
- How many RBI did Flea Clifton have?
- Flea Clifton drove in 13 runs in his career.
- Is Flea Clifton in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Flea Clifton has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.