Fritz Werber

Fred S. Werber

• Bats unknown, Throws unknown

• Born ~1904

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Fritz Werber played in the minor leagues from 1925 to 1931, mainly in the southern U.S., but also for parts or all of four seasons with the Elmira Pioneers of the New York-Penn League. He played mainly in the South Atlantic League but also had a brief tryout in the Southern Association, with the Memphis Chickasaws in 1925. When he was bought by Memphis from Dyersburg in 1925, he was reputed to be "the fastest man in the Tri-State League" [1]. He hit well in the lower-level leagues, with seasons of batting .351 (in 72 games for the Dyersburg Deers of the Tri-State League before his stint with Memphis in 1925); .326 for the Augusta Tygers in 1927; .362 in 13 games for the same team in 1928, followed with a .312 average in 114 games for Elmira; and .321 and .324 for Elmira in 1929 and 1930. He is most remembered however for a feat on June 11, 1927 when playing for Augusta, he became the first minor league player to steal seven bases in one game. the feat was matched decades later by Lee Mazzilli and Rickey Henderson.

Very little is known of his biography. He was a third baseman before moving to Elmira, and an outfielder after that. He was the older brother of major leaguer Billy Werber and uncle of Billy Werber Jr.