Frank Crespi

Frank Angelo Joseph Crespi
(Creepy)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8½", Weight 175 lb.
• High School McBride High School
• Debut September 14, 1938
• Final Game September 27, 1942
• Born February 16, 1918 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died March 1, 1990 in Florissant, MO USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"For one year — 1941 — Crespi was the best second baseman I ever saw. He did everything, and sensationally." - Marty Marion

Frank "Creepy" Crespi spent seven active seasons in professional baseball from 1937 to 1948.

Crespi spent his first season in the minor leagues with the Shelby Cardinals of the Class D North Carolina State League. It proved a great year, when he hit .314 with 11 home runs in 107 games. In his four up-and-down seasons in the minors, he managed to hit .294 in 446 games.

He spent three years (1938-1940) ping-ponging back and forth from the minos and St. Louis Cardinals. He played 25 games total between 1938, 1939 and 1940, before sticking for an entire season in 1941. Crespi played 145 games, batting .279 with 156 hits, 24 doubles and 46 RBI, fielding .967. He was back for the 1942 season and appeared in 93 games, hitting .243 and helping his team to the pennant and a World Series victory over the New York Yankees. He appeared in one game in the Series as a pinch runner, scoring a run.

Crespi entered the United States Army on February 20, 1943. He broke his left leg in a game at Fort Riley, KS, then broke it twice more, including once in a hospital wheelchair race. A nurse accidentally caused severe burns to his leg bandaging him the third time and he was left with a permanent limp, unable to play baseball again. As a big leaguer, he appeared 264 games, hitting .263 and fielding .964. He returned to the game in 1948 as manager for the Mount Vernon Braves of the Class D Illinois State League. The team had a 52-66 record, finishing fourth.

In an effort to get on the big league pension plan, Crespi sought big league coaching work but was never able to find a job. After working as a budget analyst for two decades, it was discovered he had never been designated as retired when the pension plan was established, listed among the Cardinals names on the disabled list. This allowed him to claim a big league pension, which he did until his death in 1990.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1948	Mount Vernon Braves	Illinois State League	52-66	4th	Lost in 1st round

Related Sites

• Frank Crespi at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page