Duke Sims
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1964-1974)
Duke Sims was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1974 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 11 seasons. In 843 career games, he hit .239 with 580 hits, 100 home runs, and 310 RBI. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,999.
- 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
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 197 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1964-09-22
- Last Game
- 1974-09-26
Full name: Duane B. Sims
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 843 | 2,422 | 263 | 580 | 80 | 6 | 100 | 310 | 6 | 338 | 483 | .239 | .340 | .401 | .741 | 4,999 |
Career AVG .239 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .340 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — +7.8% above league average.
Career SLG .401 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — +9.0% above league average.
Career OPS .741 vs. league average .683 across their career seasons — +8.5% above 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | CLE | AL | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1965 | CLE | AL | 48 | 118 | 9 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 33 | .178 | .245 (-28%) | .310 (-13%) | .371 (-11%) | .682 (-12%) | -196.5 |
| 1966 | CLE | AL | 52 | 133 | 12 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 31 | .263 | .248 (+6%) | .309 (+9%) | .376 (+18%) | .685 (+14%) | 327.8 |
| 1967 | CLE | AL | 88 | 272 | 25 | 55 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 37 | 3 | 30 | 64 | .202 | .242 (-17%) | .306 (-4%) | .357 (+6%) | .663 (+1%) | 71.6 |
| 1968 | CLE | AL | 122 | 361 | 48 | 90 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 44 | 1 | 62 | 68 | .249 | .236 (+5%) | .298 (+22%) | .340 (+17%) | .638 (+20%) | 1528.5 |
| 1969 | CLE | AL | 114 | 326 | 40 | 77 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 45 | 1 | 66 | 80 | .236 | .248 (-5%) | .320 (+17%) | .369 (+15%) | .689 (+16%) | 1262.5 |
| 1970 | CLE | AL | 110 | 345 | 46 | 91 | 12 | 0 | 23 | 56 | 0 | 46 | 59 | .264 | .253 (+4%) | .325 (+11%) | .385 (+29%) | .711 (+21%) | 1432.5 |
| 1971 | LAN | NL | 90 | 230 | 23 | 63 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 0 | 30 | 39 | .274 | .249 (+10%) | .316 (+13%) | .365 (+10%) | .682 (+11%) | 508.7 |
| 1972 | LAN | NL | 51 | 151 | 7 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 17 | 23 | .192 | .243 (-21%) | .310 (-10%) | .353 (-21%) | .664 (-16%) | -340.4 |
| 1972 | DET | AL | 38 | 98 | 11 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 18 | .316 | .243 (+30%) | .310 (+39%) | .353 (+36%) | .664 (+37%) | -340.4 |
| 1973 | DET | AL | 80 | 252 | 31 | 61 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 30 | 1 | 30 | 36 | .242 | .256 (-6%) | .325 (avg) | .378 (avg) | .703 (avg) | 1.6 |
| 1973 | NYA | AL | 4 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | .333 | — | — | — | — | 1.6 |
| 1974 | NYA | AL | 5 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .133 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1974 | TEX | AL | 39 | 106 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 24 | .208 | .256 (-19%) | .324 (-14%) | .369 (-21%) | .693 (-17%) | 0.0 |
| Career · 14 seasons | 843 | 2,422 | 263 | 580 | 80 | 6 | 100 | 310 | 6 | 338 | 483 | .239 | — | — | — | — | 4,258 | ||
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 (843 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 428 | 1182 | 151 | 286 | 55 | 150 | .242 |
| Away | 415 | 1240 | 112 | 294 | 45 | 160 | .237 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-09-26 | TEX | CHW | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-21 | TEX | KCR | L | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-09 | TEX | LAA | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-09 | TEX | LAA | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-05 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-09-02 | TEX | MIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-08-13 | TEX | MIL | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-08-08 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974-08-04 | TEX | CHW | L | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1974-07-30 | TEX | OAK | L | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 61 | 53 | 372 | 37 | 9 | 31 |
| C | 646 | 559 | 3762 | 319 | 58 | 49 |
| OF | 54 | 48 | 72 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | CLE | C | 1 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1965 | CLE | C | 40 | 33 | 228 | 22 | 5 | 2 |
| 1966 | CLE | C | 48 | 31 | 260 | 15 | 7 | 2 |
| 1967 | CLE | C | 85 | 77 | 561 | 56 | 7 | 7 |
| 1968 | CLE | 1B | 31 | 28 | 191 | 19 | 6 | 16 |
| 1968 | CLE | C | 84 | 71 | 523 | 41 | 10 | 7 |
| 1968 | CLE | OF | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | CLE | 1B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1969 | CLE | C | 102 | 94 | 634 | 51 | 6 | 8 |
| 1969 | CLE | OF | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | CLE | 1B | 29 | 25 | 180 | 18 | 3 | 15 |
| 1970 | CLE | C | 39 | 38 | 277 | 13 | 2 | 2 |
| 1970 | CLE | OF | 36 | 34 | 48 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1971 | LAN | C | 74 | 59 | 345 | 33 | 3 | 5 |
| 1972 | LAN | C | 48 | 41 | 244 | 17 | 3 | 4 |
| 1972 | DET | C | 25 | 25 | 145 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
| 1972 | DET | OF | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1973 | DET | C | 68 | 62 | 375 | 39 | 9 | 7 |
| 1973 | DET | OF | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | NYA | C | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | NYA | C | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | TEX | C | 30 | 26 | 143 | 21 | 5 | 4 |
| 1974 | TEX | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 646 |
| First Base | 61 |
| Left Field | 35 |
| Right Field | 19 |
| Designated Hitter | 7 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Duke Sims (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Frequently Asked Questions about Duke Sims
- What years did Duke Sims play?
- Duke Sims played in Major League Baseball from 1964 to 1974.
- Was Duke Sims a pitcher?
- No. Duke Sims was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Duke Sims hit?
- Duke Sims hit 100 career home runs with 580 hits.
- What was Duke Sims's career batting average?
- Duke Sims batted .239 over his career, with 580 hits in 2,422 at bats.
- How many RBI did Duke Sims have?
- Duke Sims drove in 310 runs in his career.
- Is Duke Sims in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Duke Sims has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.