Frederick Minnis

Virl Frederick Minnis

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
• Born June 9, 1924 in Princeton, IN USA
• Died January 16, 2006 in Naples, FL USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Infielder Frederick Minnis played in the minor leagues from 1944 to 1954.

He hit .312/.351/.479 with 67 hits in 56 games between the Marion Diggers and Jamestown Falcons his first year, then hit .293/.368/.384 in 110 games for the Falcons in 1945 and .341 with a .505 slugging mark with 10 triples, 17 steals and 105 RBI in 118 games between the Rome Colonels and Auburn Cayugas in 1946. His average fell to .244 in 1947 and .232 in 1948, before rebounding slightly to .261 in 1949; he also had a career high 20 stolen bases in 1949. After two more down years in 1950 and 1951, he experienced a resurgence in 1952, hitting .334 with 165 hits in 127 games for the Danville Dans and followed that with a .303/.415/.432 line for the same club in 1953. His final campaign, 1954, wasn't particularly notable, though he did walk 44 times to just 16 strikeouts in 188 at-bats for the Grand Forks Chiefs; in 1951, he walked 76 times to just 20 Ks.

Overall, he hit about .281 with at least 38 home runs and 1,156 hits in 11 seasons.

In addition to playing for them, Minnis also managed the Dans in 1952 and 1953 and the Chiefs for part of 1954. He led the Dans to an 87-40, 1st-place finish the first year, with the club losing in the first round of the playoffs. The club fell to last place in 1953, going 48-71. He began 1954 as Grand Forks' skipper, but after going 14-20, he was replaced by Frank Calo partway through the year.