Jim Frey

James Gottfried Frey

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.
• School Ohio State University
• High School Western Hills High School (Cincinnati)

• Born May 26, 1931 in Cleveland, OH USA
• Died April 12, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL USA

BR Manager page

Biographical Information

Jim Frey was a minor league player and then a manager in the big leagues for six seasons, followed by a number of seasons as a baseball executive.

He began his playing career in 1950, leading the Paducah Chiefs with a .325 batting average that year. On July 4, 1956, Frey was traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Ray Shearer. In 1957, he hit .336 with 11 triples and 74 RBI for the Tulsa Oilers en route to being named the Texas League MVP. He ended his 14 year playing career in 1963. Frey won batting titles in 1957 (.336 in Texas League) and 1960 (.317 in International League).

Frey spent 1964 and 1965 as skipper of the Bluefield Orioles and 1966 to 1969 as a Baltimore Orioles scout before serving as a Oriole coach under Earl Weaver from 1970 to 1979. In 1980, he became manager of the Kansas City Royals and led the team to their first World Series appearance that first year, losing in 6 games to the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the club struggled in 1981, going 30-40 under Frey, and he was replaced by Dick Howser. At the time, he was criticized for his lack of strategic acumen, which was exemplified by his work in the 1981 All-Star Game: he used all his substitutes early in the game, and was forced to let P Dave Stieb bat in the 9th inning with the game on the line when he had run out of potential pinch-hitters.

He was a member of the New York Mets coaching staff in 1982 and 1983 before becoming skipper of the Chicago Cubs from 1984 to 1986. In his first season with the Cubs, he led the team to their first postseason appearance since 1945, but they blew a two-game-to-none lead in the NLCS against the San Diego Padres and failed to advance to the World Series. He returned to the club as General Manager in late 1987 and held that post until 1991, being part of the next Cubs post-season team, in 1989.

After leaving the major leagues, he worked to set up the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League and remained associated with the team until his passing in 2020 at 88.

Notable Achievements

• 1957 Player of the Year Texas League Tulsa Oilers
• NL Manager of the Year Award (1984)
• Division Championships: 2 (1980 & 1984)
• AL Pennants: 1 (1980)

Preceded by Whitey Herzog

Kansas City Royals Manager 1980-1981

Succeeded by Dick Howser

Preceded by Charlie Fox

Chicago Cubs Manager 1984-1986

Succeeded by Gene Michael

Preceded by Dallas Green

Chicago Cubs General Manager 1988-1991

Succeeded by Larry Himes

Year-By-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1964	Bluefield Orioles	Appalachian League	27-44	4th	Baltimore Orioles
1965	Bluefield Orioles	Appalachian League	31-38	5th	Baltimore Orioles
1980	Kansas City Royals	American League	97-65	1st	Kansas City Royals	Lost World Series
1981	Kansas City Royals	American League	30-40	--	Kansas City Royals		replaced by Dick Howser on August 31
1984	Chicago Cubs	National League	96-65	1st	Chicago Cubs	Lost NLCS
1985	Chicago Cubs	National League	77-84	4th	Chicago Cubs
1986	Chicago Cubs	National League	23-34	--	Chicago Cubs		replaced by John Vukovich on June 13

Related Sites

• Jim Frey at the SABR Bio Project