Frank Schulte

Frank M. Schulte
(Wildfire)

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut September 21, 1904
• Final Game September 2, 1918
• Born September 17, 1882 in Cochecton, NY USA
• Died October 2, 1949 in Oakland, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Schulte in 1914.

Wildfire Frank Schulte, who won the equivalent of the MVP award in 1911, was on the Chicago Cubs during their heyday. Schulte joined the team as a 21-year-old in 1904, when manager Frank Selee took them to a second-place finish. Through 1912, they were to win at least 90 games each year, going to the World Series in 1906, 1907, 1908 and 1910. Schulte was a right fielder during the heart of his career although he started out in left field and as a veteran often went back there.

In the 1908 World Series, the last one the Cubs won until 2016, Schulte hit .389, one of the highest batting averages on the team. Ty Cobb hit .368 for the other team, the Detroit Tigers. Schulte hit third in the lineup in each game, while Sam Crawford hit third for the Tigers.

In 1911, while playing for the Cubs, Schulte became the first player to ever have at least 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, 20 triples and 20 doubles in one season. This has only been done on a few other occasions. In 1957 Willie Mays accomplished the feat while playing for the New York Giants and in 2007, Curtis Granderson achieved it while playing for the Detroit Tigers, and Jimmy Rollins achieved it while playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. His 21 homers that year were the most by any player in the major leagues since Buck Freeman had hit 25 for the 1899 Washington Senators. He was also the first player since Harry Stovey in 1889 to hit 10 or more homers on the road, as the others who had reached the 20-homer mark before him had all benefitted from a favorable home ballpark.

After his major league days he played four more years in the minors. In 1919 he both played and managed at Binghamton.

Notable Achievements

• NL MVP (1911)
• NL Slugging Percentage Leader (1911)
• NL Total Bases Leader (1911)
• NL Triples Leader (1906)
• 2-time NL Home Runs Leader (1910 & 1911)
• NL RBI Leader (1911)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1911)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1911)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1911)
• Won two World Series with the Chicago Cubs (1907 & 1908)

Related Sites

• Frank Schulte at the SABR Bio Project