Reinaldo Drake

Reinaldo Drake
Reinaldo Drake
	Center fielder / Manager
	Born: March 15, 1923; Havana, Cuba
	Batted: Left Threw: Left
Negro American League debut
	1945, for the Cincinnati Clowns
Last appearance
	1954, for the Indianapolis Clowns
Negro American League statistics
Batting average	.274
Home runs	2
Runs batted in	34
Managerial record	4–9–1
Winning %	.308
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	As player Cincinnati / Indianapolis Clowns (1945–1948); As manager Cincinnati / Indianapolis Clowns (1947);

Reinaldo Verdes Drake (born March 15, 1923), sometimes spelled "Dreke", was a Cuban professional baseball Negro league center fielder and manager who played and managed in the 1940s.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Drake made his Negro leagues debut in 1945 with the Cincinnati Clowns.^[1]^[2] He remained with the club when it moved to Indianapolis the following season, and was one of three player-managers to manage the Clowns in 1947. The 1947 Clowns were 4–9–1 under Drake’s management, with future Hall of Fame shortstop Willie Wells (14–29) and shortstop/third baseman Hoss Walker (17–19) also serving as player-managers during the season. Drake played with the Clowns through 1954, and was selected to the East–West All-Star Game in 1953.^[3] Drake later played minor league baseball with the Yakima Braves.^[4]

References

^ "Reinaldo Drake". seamheads.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
^ "Reynaldo Dreke". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
^ Lester, Larry (2001). Black Baseball's National Showcase: The East-West All-Star Game, 1933-1953. University of Nebraska Press. p. 406. ISBN 9780803280007.
^ "Reinaldo Drake (Minors)". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2021.