Solly Drake was a switch hitter who threw right-handed, and was listed as 6 feet (1.8m) tall, weighing 170 pounds (77kg).
Early life and career
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, he graduated from Dunbar High School. Later that year, Drake began his baseball career when he joined the Elmwood Giants of the Mandak League as a 17-year-old outfielder; he returned for two more seasons, in Manitoba. A .300 hitter with Elmwood in 1950, Drake was signed before the 1951 season by the Chicago Cubs, as an amateur free agent. He spent that year with the Class C Topeka Owls, a minor league Cubs affiliate.
In April 1956, at the age of 25, Drake made his major league debut, with the Cubs. That same year, he also played with the Portland Beavers, Montreal Royals, and the Triple-A (AAA) St. Paul Saints. During the off-season, Drake played winter league in Cuba, from 1957–1959. He was named the 1957 Caribbean SeriesMVP, after leading Cuba's Tigres de Marianao to the championship. In 1958, Drake led the International League in several offensive categories, earning him a return to the National League (NL), playing with both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, in 1959. He announced his retirement from professional baseball, following the 1961 season.
Drake's younger brother, Sammy Drake, was also a professional player, who spent two MLB seasons with the Cubs and New York Mets. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum states that the Drake brothers, Solly and Sammy, were the first African-American siblings to play in the majors in the 20th century.
