Vern Duncan

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1913-1915)

Vern Duncan was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1915 for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Baltimore Terrapins, a span of 3 seasons. In 311 career games, he hit .279 with 307 hits, 4 home runs, and 97 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 1,819.

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

AVG .279
HR 4
RBI 97
H 307
OPS .705
PIV 1,819
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
5'9" / 155 lb
Born
1/6/1890 in Clayton, NC, USA
Died
6/1/1954 in Daytona Beach, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1913-09-11
Last Game
1915-10-03

Full name: Vernon Van Duke Duncan

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Career Batting Statistics

Vern Duncan — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
311 1,100 170 307 39 12 4 97 32 121 98 .279 .357 .347 .705 1,819

Career AVG .279 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Career OBP .357 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — +11.1% above league average.

Career SLG .347 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .705 vs. league average .660 across their career seasons — +6.8% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Vern Duncan — Season-by-Season Batting
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1913 PHI NL 8 12 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 .417 — — — — 0.0
1914 BLF FL 157 557 99 160 20 8 2 53 13 67 55 .287 .255 (+13%) .322 (+16%) .339 (+7%) .661 (+11%) 1499.7
1915 BLF FL 146 531 68 142 18 4 2 43 19 54 40 .267 .250 (+7%) .318 (+6%) .332 (-1%) .651 (+2%) 318.9
Career · 3 seasons 311 1,100 170 307 39 12 4 97 32 121 98 .279 — — — — 1,819

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 (311 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Vern Duncan — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home15352382146348.279
Away15858188160142.275

Last 10 Games — Batting

Vern Duncan — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1915-10-03 BLFNEWL 400000000
1915-10-03 BLFNEWW 412100110
1915-10-02 BLFNEWL 400000001
1915-10-02 BLFNEWL 200000010
1915-09-30 BLFNEWL 301000110
1915-09-30 BLFNEWL 200000000
1915-09-28 BLFKCFL 300000000
1915-09-27 BLFKCFL 400000001
1915-09-27 BLFKCFL 200000010
1915-09-26 BLFKCFW 511000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Vern Duncan — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
2B 2 0 2 5 0 0
3B 29 0 37 39 18 6
OF 275 0 514 40 36 14

Season-by-Season Fielding

Vern Duncan — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1913 PHI OF 3 0 2 1 0 0
1914 BLF 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1914 BLF 3B 8 0 11 12 1 0
1914 BLF OF 148 0 255 20 26 8
1915 BLF 2B 1 0 2 5 0 0
1915 BLF 3B 21 0 26 27 17 6
1915 BLF OF 124 0 257 19 10 6

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Vern Duncan — Career Games by Position
Position Games
Second Base 2
Third Base 29
Left Field 99
Center Field 163
Right Field 13

College History

Vern Duncan — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC 1909, 1910

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Vern Duncan (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Jack Dalton
    .286 avg, 4 HR
  2. 94
    Doc Cook
    .274 avg, 3 HR
  3. 93
    Johnny Watwood
    .283 avg, 5 HR
  4. 80
    Benny Meyer
    .265 avg, 7 HR
  5. 79
    Frank Gilhooley
    .271 avg, 2 HR
  6. 76
    Guy Curtright
    .276 avg, 9 HR

Vern Duncan: the record in brief

September 11, 1913 and October 3, 1915 bracket Vern Duncan's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. Duncan played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1913) and the Baltimore Terrapins (1914 to 1915). Duncan, born on January 6, 1890, in Clayton, NC, USA, is listed as an outfielder and threw right-handed and batted left-handed. Duncan's listed size is 155 pounds on a 5-foot-9 frame. Duncan's death is recorded on June 1, 1954, in Daytona Beach, FL, USA. Vern Duncan was the playing name; the full given name is Vernon Van Duke.

In 311 games and 1,100 at bats, Duncan batted .279 with 307 hits, plus 4 home runs, 97 RBI, and 32 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .357 and .347 give Duncan a career OPS of .705. Set against a .255 league average for the same years, Duncan's .279 average sits 9.6% above it. The hits column peaks at 160, in 1914. The Lg AVG column puts Duncan's 1914 at .287 against .255, the widest margin among the busiest seasons at 13%.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vern Duncan

What years did Vern Duncan play?
Vern Duncan played in Major League Baseball from 1913 to 1915.
Was Vern Duncan a pitcher?
No. Vern Duncan was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Vern Duncan hit?
Vern Duncan hit 4 career home runs with 307 hits.
What was Vern Duncan's career batting average?
Vern Duncan batted .279 over his career, with 307 hits in 1,100 at bats.
How many RBI did Vern Duncan have?
Vern Duncan drove in 97 runs in his career.
Is Vern Duncan in the Hall of Fame?
No. Vern Duncan has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.