Fred Martin

Fred Turner Martin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Debut April 21, 1946
• Final Game September 24, 1950
• Born June 27, 1915 in Williams, OK USA
• Died June 11, 1979 in Chicago, IL USA

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Biographical Information

Banned for playing in the Mexican League, pitcher Fred Martin was out of Organized Baseball from 1946 to 1949. He jumped to the Mexican League on May 23, 1946 while a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, alongside teammates Max Lanier and Lou Klein. In spite of the defections, the Cardinals won the National League pennant that season.

After his playing career ended, he was a member of the Chicago Cubs coaching staff from 1961 to 1965, during the days of the infamous College of Coaches experiment, after which he became a minor league pitching instructor in the Cubs' farm system. It was here that he taught the split-finger fastball to future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter, who would pioneer the use of the pitch at the major league level. Martin joined the Chicago White Sox as pitching coach in 1979 but died on June 11th of that year.