Fred Richards

Frederick Charles Richards
(Fuzzy)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1½", Weight 185 lb.
• High School Leavittsburg High School
• Debut September 15, 1951
• Final Game September 30, 1951
• Born November 3, 1927 in Warren, OH USA
• Died March 18, 2016 in Warren, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Fred Richards was a left-handed-hitting first baseman in the Chicago Cubs organization during the 1950s. "Fuzzy" hit 26 home runs in 1953 and 24 in 1954 while playing for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League. He held his own in his only chance in the majors with the Cubs in 1951, hitting .296 (8-for-27) in 10 games.

Before the 1946 season, Fred had been signed as an amateur free agent by the Wrigley Field club and spent the next six seasons in the minor leagues. He had several good years, with his top hitting season coming in 1949, with the Des Moines Bruins of the class A Western League. "Fuzzy" hit the class A pitching at a .303 clip, his first year with a .300-plus average, and hammered 14 home runs while playing 140 games.

After his short and uneventful trip to the big leagues, Fred spent five more seasons in the minor leagues, hitting .278 in a split season with the Des Moines Bruins and the Springfield Cubs in 1952. Richards hit at a .296 clip in his 26-home run year in 1953 with the Pacific Coast League Angels. In 1955, his clutch hitting helped the Minneapolis Millers to the American Association pennant and championship in the 1955 Junior World Series. "Fuzzy" closed out his 11-season minor league run in 1956, after just 27 games with the Dallas Eagles of the AA Texas League. Richards had a minor league career batting average of .268 along with 135 home runs while appearing in 1,290 games.

After baseball, Richards was with the fire department in his hometown of Warren, OH, for thirty years, before retiring in 1984 as the assistant fire chief.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s

Related Sites

• BR Minors page