Frank Barrett

From BR Bullpen

130 pix

Francis Joseph Barrett
(Red)

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Before the 1935 season, Frank Barrett was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent. The right-handed pitcher played in seven leagues with eight teams before arriving in St. Louis in 1939. He was there long enough to lose one game and it was back on the road again.

On June 10, 1944, the Cardinals traded Frank to the Boston Red Sox for Stan Partenheimer. Barrett worked out of the Red Sox bullpen, going 8-7 with 8 saves. In 1945, he was still with the Red Sox, going 4-3, but in March 1946 they sold him to the crosstown Boston Braves. He went 2-4 and, in 1947, he was back in the minors, but he would return. Before the 1947 season, he was obtained by the Pittsburgh Pirates when the Indianapolis Indians, to which he had been assigned, switched affiliations. He was in the American Association until 1950 when the Pirates called, and he was with them long enough to win a game and lose 2. This was his last year to face major league hitters. Frank's major league numbers were not that bad. The well-traveled journeyman had a major league sheet that showed a 15-17 record while appearing in 104 games, pitching 218 innings, giving up 211 hits with a 3.51 ERA.

Frank was not finished yet; he was only 36 years old, so he hit the minors again. He stayed in the game until 1955 as a player and player-manager. In 1951, he played and managed with both the Burlington (NC) Bees and the Butler Tigers. In 1952, he had the same deal with the Mayfield Clothiers of the KITTY League and in 1953, he handled the Leesburg Lakers of the Florida State League. None of the teams Frank managed finished with a winning record and he was interim with two of the clubs. There is no record of him in 1954 but he resurfaced for a one-game finale in 1955 with the International League Columbus Jets.

Frank's final minor league stats show him to be a journeyman. Suiting up from 1935 to 1955, he appeared in 661 games as a pitcher, winning 147 and losing 121. He pitched 2,554 innings, gave up 2,163 hits, 1,015 walks and had a 3.60 ERA. Frank was 42 years old when he played his last inning.

Frank later owned and operated a gas station and restaurant in Leesburg, FL, where he died March 6, 1998, at age 84.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]

Year Team League Record Finish Organization Playoffs Notes
1951 Burlington (NC) Bees Carolina League 27-44 -- Pittsburgh Pirates replaced by Mike Kash (20-49) on June 29
Butler Tigers Middle Atlantic League 28-36 5th Pittsburgh Pirates replaced William Allen on July 2
1952 Mayfield Clothiers Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League 47-70 8th Pittsburgh Pirates
1953 Leesburg Lakers Florida State League 22-29 6th none replaced Red Dulaney (44-48) on July 17

Sources[edit]

Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page

Related Sites[edit]