Frankie Frisch

Birthdate	9/9/1898
Death Date	5/12/1973
Debut Year	1919
Year of Induction	1947
Teams	Cardinals, Giants
Positions	Second Base, Shortstop, Third Base

Frankie Frisch has the highest career batting average (.316) among switch-hitting players enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Frisch gained his nickname, "The Fordham Flash" due to his athletic prowess in college

Frank Frisch attended Fordham University, starring in baseball, football, basketball, and track. His athletic prowess earned him the nickname, “The Fordham Flash”. In 1919 Frisch left the university and joined the New York Giants. Two years later, Frisch had a breakout season. His 1921 c

Frisch was the MVP for the Cardinals 1931 championship and the manager three years later

The National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1931, Frisch played in each of the first three All Star games. Upon retirement as a player Frisch became a manager, a position he held for 16 seasons. His best season as a pilot came with the 1934 St. Louis Cardinals “Gas House Gang” wo

Frisch later became a member of the Hall's Veteran Committee - his legacy there is dismal

After a no-doubt Hall of Fame playing career in which he established the highest lifetime average among inducted switch hitters, Frisch became a voting member of the Hall’s Veterans Committee. Once there he ascended

January 4th, 2017 Leave a comment

Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Cy Young are in everyone’s Hall of Fame. Marginal players like the ones selected on Frankie Frisch’s watch on the Veterans Committee have helped define and damage the Hall of Fame.

His five most glaring selections — George Kelly, Jesse Haines, Dave Bancroft, Ross Youngs, and Chick Hafey have ignited many arguments. Here’s a big reason why: Imagine if your favorite player is Keith Hernandez and you think he should be in Cooperstown. He’s flat out a better first baseman than George Kelly. Hernandez was in fact a better player than any of the five Frisch selections. There are likely hundreds of players better than the Frisch Five.