Walter French

Walter Edward French
(Piggy or Fitz)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 7½", Weight 155 lb.
• School United States Military Academy, Rutgers University
• High School Moorestown High School
• Debut September 15, 1923
• Final Game October 6, 1929
• Born July 12, 1899 in Moorestown, NJ USA
• Died May 13, 1984 in Mountain Home, AR USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Walter French played six years in the majors and was the baseball coach at the United States Military Academy from 1937 to 1942.

French's major league career was all with the Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack. He was a regular outfielder in 1926 and 1927, and appeared in the 1929 World Series.

According to the SABR minor league database, he never hit under .300 in eight years of minor league play. He hit .363 for Williamsport in 1923, and came up for 16 games in the majors that year. In 1924 he hit .350 for Shreveport, and in 1925 became a backup with the Athletics, hitting .370 in 104 at-bats. After his major league days his highest batting average was .351 in the Southern Association in 1933.

He and Kiki Cuyler were the only major leaguers out of the Military Academy at West Point until Chris Rowley made his debut in 2017; Cuyler played football there rather than baseball.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1929

Related Sites

• Walt French at the SABR Bio Project
• Football-Reference page