Sammy Drake

From BR Bullpen

Samuel Harrison Drake

Bats Both, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.
School Philander Smith College
Debut April 17, 1960
Final Game September 30, 1962
Born October 7, 1934 in Little Rock, AR USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Before the 1954 season, Sammy Drake was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent. Sammy would spend 1954 with he class A Macon Peaches and the 20-year-old infielder would appear in 105 games and hit for a .251 average.

Sammy would wait until 1960 before getting a look at the major leagues. After hitting .318 for the San Antonio Missions, the 1960 Chicago Cubs would take a look at Drake for 15 games, mostly as a pinch hitter and Sam responded by going 1 for 15. He would be with the Houston Buffs in 1961, where he would hit .307 with 10 homers and get another late season look by the Cubs, getting into 13 games but unable to come up with a base hit in 5 at-bats.

On October 10, 1961 Sammy was drafted by the New York Mets in the 1961 expansion draft. The Mets would place him with the Syracuse Chiefs and the Columbus Jets in 1962 before bringing him up for 25 games where he managed 10 hits in 52 at-bats for a .192 average. This would close out Sam's three-year big league career with a .153 aveage.

Drake would spend a few more years in the AAA minors closing out in 1965 with the Buffalo Bisons, hitting .255. Sammy would have eight active years in the minors from 1955 through 1965. He would appear in 782 contests, have 2,721 at bats with 743 base hits, including 51 home runs for a minor league career batting average of .273.

Sammy was the younger brother of Solly Drake who also played with the 1956 Cubs, along with the 1959 Dodgers and 1959 Phillies. Sammy and Solly were the first black brother combination to play major league baseball in the 20th Century; Fleet Walker and Welday Walker had played in the 19th Century. At last report (2009) they are both retired in southern California.