Frank Demaree

Joseph Franklin Demaree
born Joseph Franklin Dimaria

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11½", Weight 185 lb.
• School Saint Mary's College of California
• High School Winters (CA) High School
• Debut July 22, 1932
• Final Game June 13, 1944
• Born June 10, 1910 in Winters, CA USA
• Died August 30, 1958 in Los Angeles, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Frank Demaree had a 12-year major league career as an outfielder. He hit .299 lifetime. He was also MVP on a team in the top minors in 1934, after his first full season in the majors.

Demaree came out of the St. Mary's College of California program that sent several players to the majors in the 1930s. He broke in with the Chicago Cubs in 1932, at age 22. He appeared in 23 games, and then was in 2 games in the 1932 World Series, hitting .286. He had not hit a homer in the regular season, but did so in Game 4 of the World Series, off Johnny Allen of the New York Yankees. He was only the second player to hit his first homer in a postseason game, after P Rosy Ryan, who had done so in the 1924 World Series. A few others have done so since. In 1933, Kiki Cuyler broke his leg in spring training, and Demaree became a regular outfielder. He hit .272 on a team that hit .271.

In 1934 he was the top hitter on a team that some call the best minor league team of all time, the 1934 Los Angeles Angels who went 137-50. After his MVP year in the PCL in 1934, he came back to the 1935 Chicago Cubs, who also went to the World Series. Cuyler was released in July, and Demaree appeared in 107 games, hitting .325. In the Series, Demaree got 24 at-bats, hitting .250. He batted fifth in the lineup.

In 1936 and 1937, Demaree was on the All Star team both years. In 1936, he hit .350 with a .496 slugging percentage, while in 1937, he hit .324 with a .485 slugging percentage. 1938 was another year in which the Chicago Cubs went to the World Series. He slipped to .273, and in the Series he appeared in 3 games, getting 1 hit in 10 at-bats.

He was traded to the New York Giants after the 1938 season, and pushed his batting average over .300 in 1939 and 1940. In 1941, he lost his job as a starter, and was claimed off waivers by the Boston Braves. He finished out his career from 1941 to 1944 as a backup with the Braves, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the St. Louis Browns. The Cardinals went to the 1943 World Series, and Demaree got one at-bat in the Series. He was released before the end of the 1944 season, so he did not appear in the 1944 World Series with the Browns.

For the rest of 1944, and in 1945, he was with Portland of the PCL. He was overweight and not very effective in 1944, but in 1945 he lost the weight, hit over .300, batted cleanup, and led Portland to the pennant.

In 1948, he managed a few games at Fresno, and he scouted for the Chicago White Sox in 1949. He also managed a few games at San Bernardino in 1950, and then worked at a movie studio for the rest of his life.

He died at the age of 48.

Notable Achievements

• 1934 MVP Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels
• 2-time NL All-Star (1936 & 1937)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1937)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1937)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1936)

Related Sites

• Frank Demaree at the SABR Bio Project

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