Jim Fregosi

Infobox MLB retired
name=Jim Fregosi
position=Shortstop
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1942|4|4
city-state|San Francisco|California
debutdate=September 14
debutyear=by|1961
debutteam=Los Angeles Angels
finaldate=May 31
finalyear=by|1978
finalteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.265
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=151
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=706
teams= As Player
* Los Angeles / California Angels (by|1961-by|1971)
* New York Mets (by|1972-by|1973)
* Texas Rangers (by|1973-by|1977)
* Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1977-by|1978)As Manager
* California Angels (by|1978-by|1981)
* Chicago White Sox (by|1986-by|1988)
* Philadelphia Phillies (by|1991-by|1996)
* Toronto Blue Jays (by|1999-by|2000)
highlights=
* 6x All-Star selection (1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970)
* Gold Glove Award winner (1967)
* Los Angeles Angels #11 retired

James Louis Fregosi (born April 4 1942 in San Francisco, California) is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for four teams, primarily the Los Angeles & California Angels. In that franchise's first eleven years of play, he became its first star as the team's most productive and popular player. He led the American League in double plays twice, winning the by|1967 Gold Glove Award, and upon leaving the team ranked ninth in AL history with 818 double plays. He holds the franchise record with 70 career triples; several of his other team records, including career games (1,429), hits (1,408), doubles (219), runs (691) and runs batted in (546), were broken by Brian Downing between 1986 and 1989. He returned to the team as manager, guiding it to its first-ever postseason appearance in by|1979, and later managed the Philadelphia Phillies to the by|1993 National League pennant.

He is currently the top advance scout for the Atlanta Braves. [cite web |url=http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071018&content_id=2271267&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl |title=Notes: Holliday no surprise to Johnson |accessdate=2007-10-23 |last=Bowman |first=Mark |date=2007-10-18]

Playing career

A right-handed batter, Fregosi is one of many notable alumni of Junípero Serra High School of San Mateo, California, and was signed by the Boston Red Sox in by|1960. The same year he was selected by the Angels in the expansion draft, and made his debut in September by|1961. After hitting .291 as a reserve in 1962, he batted .287 – ninth in the AL – in his first full season in 1963, and was second in the league in triples and fifth in hits. He made his first All-Star squad in 1964, batting .277. From 1964 to mid-1969, he teamed with second baseman Bobby Knoop to form one of the game's top double play combinations; with Knoop winning Gold Gloves from 1966-68, the two became only the third middle infield combination to win the honor in the same season (1967). On July 28, by|1964, he became the first Angel to hit for the cycle, and he did so again on May 20, by|1968. Fregosi continued to turn out solid years, particularly in 1967 when he batted .290 (seventh in the AL) and won his only Gold Glove, finishing seventh in the MVP voting. He became regarded as the league's top-hitting shortstop, leading the AL in triples (13) in 1968, and was named an All-Star every season from 1966 to 1970. But he was sidelined in by|1971 when a tumor was discovered in his foot. The Angels became uncertain of Fregosi's future, and on December 10 traded him to the New York Mets in the same deal that brought pitcher Nolan Ryan to California. (Fregosi would later manage Ryan in 1978 and 1979, Ryan's last two years as an Angel.)

Sidelined by several injuries including a broken thumb in by|1972, Fregosi struggled with the Mets, where he played mainly at third base, and was sold to the Texas Rangers in the by|1973 mid-season. After five years as a backup for the Rangers (1973-77), during which he played primarily as a first baseman, he was sent to the Pittsburgh Pirates in June 1977. When the Angels expressed interest in naming him as their manager in by|1978, the Pirates released him to pursue the opportunity.

In his 18-year career, Fregosi batted .265 with 1726 hits, 151 home runs, 844 runs, 706 RBI, 264 doubles, 78 triples, and 76 stolen bases in 1902 games played. In addition to the Angels records previously noted, Brian Downing also broke his club marks for career at bats (5244), total bases (2112) and extra base hits (404). Don Baylor broke his team record of 115 home runs in by|1981.

Fregosi was the last player to retire who was a member of the "original" Los Angeles Angels.

Managerial career

California Angels

In becoming the Angels' manager at age 36, Fregosi was presented with a solid team nucleus of Ryan, Baylor, Downing, Bobby Grich, Carney Lansford, Frank Tanana and longtime owner Gene Autry, compiling a record of 62-55 in 117 games, and tying for second with Texas behind the Kansas City Royals. In 1979, with the addition of Rod Carew, he led the Angels to an 88-74 record, surprising the Royals and winning the first title in the club's 19-year existence. But they didn't have enough to get by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 American League Championship Series, losing Game 1 in 10 innings and dropping a 9-8 slugfest in Game 2; the Angels captured a 4-3 win in Game 3, scoring twice in the bottom of the ninth on an error and a Larry Harlow double, but were knocked out in an 8-0 Game 4 loss. After Ryan's departure to the Houston Astros at the end of the season, the team's pitching faltered in by|1980, and the club dropped back into sixth place in their division; Fregosi was replaced in the first half of the by|1981 season.

Louisville Redbirds and Chicago White Sox

From there he managed the Louisville Redbirds of the American Association, winning league championships in 1984 and 1985 and finishing second in 1983. Fregosi got a new chance in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox in by|1986, but had a losing record and was released at the end of the by|1988 season.

Philadelphia Phillies

Fregosi returned in by|1991 with the Phillies. His greatest triumph as a manager came in by|1993, when he led the club to the World Series. After finishing 26 games out of first place in by|1992, the 1993 Phillies (featuring a cast of colorful characters including Darren Daulton, Lenny Dykstra, Dave Hollins, John Kruk, Danny Jackson, Curt Schilling, and Mitch Williams) charged to 97 wins and then further shocked the baseball world by pulling off a major upset against the two-time defending NL Champion Atlanta Braves in six games in the League Championship Series. Despite putting up a good fight against the defending World Champion Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series, Fregosi's Phillies wound up losing to Toronto in six games, with Joe Carter's Series-winning home run in Game 6 being the final blow.

Despite the World Series run, Fregosi was often the target of criticism by the Philadelphia sports media. One general criticism of Fregosi was that he was a manager who relied on veteran players and was unable to develop younger players. He was ultimately released by the Phillies in by|1996 after posting a series of dismal post-1993 seasons.

Post-Phillies career

Fregosi was hired away from the San Francisco Giants (where he had been serving as a special assistant) as the new manager for the Blue Jays in by|1999, and was replaced after the 2000 season despite the fact that the team finished in third place and above .500 in each of his two years in Toronto. As a manager, he had a record of 1028-1095 in 15 seasons.

At the end of by|2004, when the Phillies were looking for a manager to replace Larry Bowa, Fregosi surfaced as a candidate for the job. The job ended up going to Charlie Manuel.

Fregosi's number "11" was retired by the Angels in by|1998.

Fregosi delivered a eulogy at the March 2007 funeral of longtime friend and former Phillies coach John Vukovich. [cite web |url=http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/102-03142007-1314026.html |title=Final tributes for Vukovich |accessdate=2007-03-15 |last=Miller |first=Randy |date=2007-03-14 |work=phillyBurbs.com ] [cite news |first=Jim |last=Salisbury |title=Baseball bids 'Vuke' farewell |url=http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/baseball/16899164.htm?source=rss&channel=philly_baseball |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=2007-03-14 ]

Managerial record

ee also

*List of Gold Glove middle infield duos
*List of Major League Baseball triples champions
*Top 500 home run hitters of all time
*Hitting for the cycle

References

* "Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia" (2000). Kingston, NY: Total/Sports Illustrated. ISBN 1-892129-34-5.

External links