Joe Durham
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1954-1959)
Joe Durham was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1959 for the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals, a span of 6 seasons. In 93 career games, he hit .188 with 38 hits, 5 home runs, and 20 RBI. 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
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 186 lb
- Died
- 4/28/2016 in Randallstown, MD, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1954-09-10
- Last Game
- 1959-05-06
Full name: Joseph Vann Durham
Negro Leagues (season totals). Additive Retrosheet-digitized totals for seasons not already in the logs above; they are not summed into the career line. No team/league breakdown is available, and coverage may be partial.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 202 | 25 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 50 | .188 | .260 | .272 | .532 | -625 |
Career AVG .188 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 27.2% below league average.
Career OBP .260 vs. league average .327 across their career seasons — 20.5% below league average.
Career SLG .272 vs. league average .391 across their career seasons — 30.4% below league average.
Career OPS .532 vs. league average .718 across their career seasons — 25.9% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | BAL | AL | 10 | 40 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .225 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1957 | BAL | AL | 77 | 157 | 19 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 16 | 42 | .185 | .257 (-28%) | .323 (-20%) | .391 (-30%) | .715 (-26%) | -624.6 |
| 1959 | SLN | NL | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 93 | 202 | 25 | 38 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 50 | .188 | — | — | — | — | -625 | ||
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 (93 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 51 | 131 | 13 | 29 | 4 | 16 | .221 |
| Away | 42 | 71 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 4 | .127 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-05-06 | STL | PHI | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-05-01 | STL | PIT | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-04-29 | STL | ATL | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-04-26 | STL | LAD | L | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959-04-19 | STL | SFG | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1959-04-16 | STL | LAD | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1957-09-29 | BAL | MIN | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-09-27 | BAL | MIN | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 1957-09-25 | BAL | NYY | W | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1957-09-25 | BAL | NYY | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 47 |
| Center Field | 7 |
| Right Field | 25 |
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaw University | Raleigh | NC | 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 |
Joe Durham: the record in brief
Joe Durham's major league career runs from a debut on September 10, 1954 to a final game on May 6, 1959. Durham played for the Baltimore Orioles (1954 through 1957) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1959). Durham, born on July 31, 1931, in Newport News, VA, USA, is listed as an outfielder and batted and threw right-handed. Durham's listed size is 186 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. Durham's death is recorded on April 28, 2016, in Randallstown, MD, USA. On the record, Joe Durham was born Joseph Vann Durham.
Durham collected 38 hits in 202 at bats across 93 games, good for a .188 batting average, adding 5 home runs and 20 runs batted in. Durham got on base at a .260 rate and slugged .272 (.532 OPS). Over the seasons Durham played, league hitters batted .258; the .188 career figure is 27.2% below that. The OPS comparison is .532 to a league .718, 25.9% below average. Durham collected a career-high 29 hits in 1957.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joe Durham
- What years did Joe Durham play?
- Joe Durham played in Major League Baseball from 1954 to 1959.
- Was Joe Durham a pitcher?
- No. Joe Durham was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Joe Durham hit?
- Joe Durham hit 5 career home runs with 38 hits.
- What teams did Joe Durham play for?
- Joe Durham played for 2 teams: the Baltimore Orioles (1954, 1957) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1959).
- What were Joe Durham's career stats?
- In 93 games, Joe Durham had 38 hits, 5 home runs, 20 RBI, 25 runs, and 1 stolen bases, with a .188 batting average.
- What position did Joe Durham play?
- Joe Durham played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Joe Durham and how much did he weigh?
- Joe Durham was listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 186 pounds.
- How many home runs did Joe Durham hit each season?
- Joe Durham's home runs by season: 1 in 1954, 4 in 1957, and 0 in 1959. His most in one season was 4, in 1957.
- What was Joe Durham's career batting average?
- Joe Durham batted .188 over his career, with 38 hits in 202 at bats.
- How many RBI did Joe Durham have?
- Joe Durham drove in 20 runs in his career.
- Is Joe Durham in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Joe Durham has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.