Frankie Frisch (1947)


Date of Birth: 9/9/1898
Date of Death: 3/12/1973
Birthplace: Bronx, New York
College: Fordham University

Frankie Frisch was a skilled athlete in college, playing on the baseball, football, basketball, and track teams. In 1919, he left college to join the New York Giants.

New York Giants

Frisch played in 54 games with the Giants in 1919. The following season, he played in 110 games and he had a batting average of .280 with 123 hits, 10 doubles, 10 triples, 77 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases.

Frisch led the NL in stolen bases in 1921. He finished the season with career highs in triples (17) and stolen bases (49). He had 211 hits, 31 doubles, 100 RBIs, and a .341 batting average in 153 games. The following year, he batted .327 with 168 hits, 31 stolen bases, and 51 RBIs in 132 games. In 1922, he walked 47 times and struck out just 13 times.

Frisch initially played second and third base but in 1923, the Giants made him their regular second baseman. That season, he led the NL in hits. He had career highs in hits (223), RBIs (111), and batting average (.348) in 1923.

In 1924, Frisch batted .328 with 198 hits, 33 doubles, 15 triples, 22 stolen bases, and 69 RBIs in 145 games. He led all NL second basemen in putouts with 391. He continued to play well for the next two seasons, finishing with a .331 batting average in 1925 and a .314 batting average in 1926.

St. Louis Cardinals

After the 1926 season, the Giants traded Frisch to the St. Louis Cardinals. In his first season with the Cardinals, he led the NL in stolen bases with 48. He finished the 1927 season with 208 hits, 31 doubles, 78 RBIs, and a .337 batting average in 153 games. Defensively, he led all NL second basemen in assists with 643 and in double plays turned with 104.

In 1928, Frisch's batting average dropped to .300, but it went back up to .334 in 1929. He finished that season with 176 hits, 40 doubles, 24 stolen bases, and 74 RBIs in 138 games. He had an even better season in 1930, when he batted .346 with 187 hits, a career high 46 doubles, and 114 RBIs in 133 games.

Frisch was named the NL MVP in 1931. That year, he again led the NL in stolen bases. He finished the season with 161 hits, 24 doubles, 82 RBIs, and a .311 batting average in 131 games.

In 1933, the Cardinals made Frisch player-manager and he continued to manage them through 1938. He played full seasons in 1933 (147 games) and 1934 (140 games). He had a .303 batting average with 177 hits in 1933, and 168 hits and a .305 batting average the following year. He became a part-time player in 1935, playing in 103 games that season. The next year, he batted .274 in 93 games. In 1937, his last year as a major league player, he played in only 17 games.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL MVP
  • Led the NL in stolen bases (3 times)

Career Statistics

Frisch played in over 100 games in each of 16 seasons (1920-1935). His statistics during that time include:

  • 13 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 223 in 1923
  • 8 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 46 in 1930
  • 7 seasons with 10 or more triples, with a high of 17 in 1921
  • 3 seasons with 100 or more RBIs, with a high of 114 in 1930
  • 11 seasons with over 20 stolen bases, with a high of 49 in 1921
  • 13 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .348 in 1923

Career batting statistics for Frisch include:

  • 2,311 games played
  • 2,880 hits
  • 466 doubles
  • 138 triples
  • 1,244 RBIs
  • 419 stolen bases
  • 272 strikeouts to 728 walks
  • .316 batting average
  • .369 on-base percentage
  • .801 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Frisch at second base include:

  • 1,762 games played
  • 6,026 assists
  • 1,062 double plays
  • 4,348 putouts
  • 280 errors
  • .974 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Frisch include:

  • 8 postseasons
  • 50 games played
  • 197 at-bats
  • 58 hits
  • 10 doubles
  • 3 triples
  • 9 stolen bases
  • 10 RBIs
  • 9 strikeouts to 12 walks
  • .294 batting average

Post Playing Career

After ending his time as manager with the Cardinals, Frisch was out of major league baseball for just one season. In 1940, he returned as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a position he held through the 1946 season. He took a short break again from the major leagues and returned in 1949 to manage the Chicago Cubs for three seasons. After that, Frisch became a radio announcer and coach for the New York Giants.

Career statistics for Frisch as a major league manager include:

  • 16 seasons
  • 1,138 wins to 1,078 losses
  • .514 win percentage
  • 1 NL pennant win
  • 1 World Series title

Frisch was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1947 on the sixth ballot with 84.5% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Frankie Frisch
ESPN - Frankie Frisch
Baseball Reference - Frankie Frisch

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