Frank Delahanty

Frank George Delahanty
(Pudgie)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.

• Debut August 23, 1905
• Final Game May 27, 1915
• Born December 29, 1882 in Cleveland, OH USA
• Died July 22, 1966 in Cleveland, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

"Frank . . . while a great ball player, lacked the knack of sticking to it. . . He was anxious to quit the game even when in short of his prime; but the natural ability was there for the development of a star . . ." - from Sporting Life of April 6, 1912

"Frank Delahanty, one of the famous base ball family, has been playing second base lately and putting up a good game. One thing about Del, no matter where he is placed, he is right at home and is always sure to give a good account of himself." - Sporting Life issue of August 22, 1914 (Frank played only four games in the majors at second base, serving mostly as an outfielder)

Frank Delahanty was one of five Delahanty brothers to play in the majors. A sixth brother played in the minor leagues. He played six years in the majors as an outfielder - four in the American League from 1905 to 1908 and two in the Federal League in 1914 and 1915.

He was the starting left fielder for much of the year for the New York Highlanders in 1906, appearing in 86 games there and getting 307 at-bats. Although his batting average was below the team average, he showed some power with 8 doubles and 2 homers (no player on the team had more than 10 doubles or 4 home runs). The team won 92 games. One teammate was 42-year-old Deacon McGuire.

After being with the Cleveland Naps in 1907, he was back in New York in 1908, playing 36 games in left field and getting 125 at-bats. His .256 batting average was 20 points higher than the team average. That year, though, the team lost 103 games.

Delahanty didn't come back to the majors again for six years, in 1914 when the Federal League started. He was 31 years old at the time. He became the regular left fielder for the Buffalo Buffeds, but hit only .201 and spent the last part of the season with the Pittsburgh Rebels. The next year he appeared in 14 games with Pittsburgh and was done.

His minor league career started in 1902 and he was with the Minneapolis Millers in 1912 and 1913. In 1905 he hit .309 with the Birmingham Barons. Sporting Life stated that he set a record in 1909-1912 when he played for four different American Association teams in four straight years (Louisville, Indianapolis, St. Paul and then Minneapolis).

The Highlanders once offered the young Delahanty in a trade for the young Ty Cobb, who the Detroit Tigers saw as a problem player. Both had made their major league debut in 1905.

Related Sites

• Frank Delahanty at the SABR Bio Project