Fred Chapman

Note: This page links to Fred Chapman, an infielder active from 1939 to 1941. For the pitcher once called Fred Chapman who was erroneously thought to have been the youngest player in baseball history, see Frank Chapman.

William Fred Chapman
(Chappie)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.
• School Wingate Junior College
• High School Cannon High School (Kannapolis)
• Debut September 15, 1939
• Final Game September 23, 1941
• Born July 17, 1916 in Liberty, SC USA
• Died March 27, 1997 in Kannapolis, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Fred Chapman spent fifteen seasons in baseball between 1935 to 1953. He also spent four years (1942-1945) serving in the Pacific with the US Navy during World War II.

Chapman was signed by the Washington Senators organization before the 1935 season. He spent three seasons as a Senators farmhand before being traded on September 10, 1937, to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Ben Geraghty and Jack Radtke. Fred spent the next two seasons in the minors, with the Trenton Senators of the Class A Eastern League in 1938 and the Springfield Nationals of the same league in 1939. The Philadelphia Athletics then acquired him and he made his big league debut on September 15, 1939. He appeared in 15 games at shortstop, hitting .286/.300/.347 and fielding .952. Fred was back with the A's for another short trial in 1940, hitting just .159/.227/.174 and fielding .953 in 25 games. He spent the remainder of the year with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, hitting .283 with 6 home runs in 119 games. "Chappie" spent the entire 1941 season with the A's. He appeared in just 35 games, hitting .159/.205/.174. He finished his big league career with a .193/.237/.219 line and .952 fielding percentage while playing in a total of 76 games.

Chapman returned to baseball in 1946, after serving in the Navy, and spent the next three seasons (1946-1948) with the Wilkes-Barre Barons of the Eastern League, the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League and the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association, hitting close to .250 combined. Fred became a player-manager in the Class D North Carolina State League for three seasons (1949-1951) and finished his minor league career in the same capacity with the Statesville Blues of the Tar Heel League in 1953. He ended his minor league career with a .279 average and 72 home runs in 1,568 games.

After baseball, Chapman worked and resided in his native Liberty, SC, until his retirement. He passed away on March 27, 1997 in Kannapolis, NC, at the age of 80.

When he was inducted into the Cabarrus County Sports Hall of Fame, it was stated that he attended Cannon High School in Kannapolis, starring in football, basketball and baseball. He seems to have attended what is now Wingate University for a year, played 14 years in the minors, was in the Navy from 1942-1946, later coached American Legion ball and worked as a foreman in the dye department of a mill [1].

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1949	Landis Spinners	North Carolina State League	69-53	3rd	Lost in 1st round
1950	Landis Spinners	North Carolina State League	63-49	3rd	League Champs
1951	Landis Spinners / Elkin Blanketeers	North Carolina State League	67-59	3rd	Lost in 1st round
1953	Statesville Blues	Tar Heel League		--	--	replaced by Charley Knight