Johnny Frederick

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Johnny Frederick

|image=JohnnyFrederickGoudeycard.jpg

|position=Outfielder

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date|1902|1|26}}

|birth_place=Denver, Colorado, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1977|6|18|1902|1|26}}

|death_place=Tigard, Oregon, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 18

|debutyear=1929

|debutteam=Brooklyn Robins

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 25

|finalyear=1934

|finalteam=Brooklyn Dodgers

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.308

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=85

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=377

|teams=

Brooklyn Robins / Dodgers ({{Baseball year|1929}}–{{Baseball year|1934}})

}}

John Henry Frederick (January 26, 1902 – June 18, 1977) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He played six seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers, compiling a .308 batting average (954-for-3102) with 85 home runs and 377 RBI for his career.

Baseball career

Frederick began his professional baseball career in 1921 and broke into the majors in 1929. His rookie season, he batted .328 with 206 hits while leading the team with 24 home runs and 127 runs scored. He led the major leagues with 52 doubles, the highest total of the century to that point and a Dodgers team record that stood until 2023. That year he also set a Dodgers rookie record for most leadoff home runs in season with three, a record that was not matched until Joc Pederson matched it in May 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/Mike-Bolsinger-Shuts-Out-San-Diego-2-0--304840131.html|title=Mike Bolsinger is Nearly Perfect in Shutout of San Diego Padres|work=NBC Southern California|date=May 23, 2015 }} Frederick recorded 206 hits in both 1929 and 1930, his first two years in the majors.{{cite web|url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/f/fredejo01.shtml|title=Johnny Frederick Career Statistics at Baseball Reference|website=baseball-reference.com|accessdate= April 24, 2024}} He had four 5-hit games in his six-year major league career.{{cite web|url=https://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/F/PX_fredj101.htm|title=Johnny Frederick Top Performances at Retrosheet|website=retrosheet.org|accessdate= April 24, 2024}} He also led off a game with a home run 10 times with the Dodgers, second in franchise history.

In 1932, Frederick blasted six pinch-hit home runs, setting a major league record that stood for 68 years.[https://baseballbiography.com/johnny-frederick-1902 Johnny Frederick] - Baseballbiography.com

At the time of his retirement in 1934, Frederick held the record for most career home runs by a player born in Colorado (85). He held the mark for eighty years until Chase Headley broke it in 2014.{{cite web |title=Players by birthplace: Colorado Baseball Stats and Info |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/bio/CO_born.shtml |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Chase Headley - Stats - Batting {{!}} FanGraphs Baseball |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/players/chase-headley/4720/stats?position=3B |website=www.fangraphs.com}}

Frederick was an effective pinch hitter in his MLB career, batting .300 (21-for-70) with 8 home runs and 25 RBI.{{cite web|url=https://baseball-reference.com/players/f/fredejo01-bat.shtml|title=Johnny Frederick Situational Batting at Baseball Reference|website=baseball-reference.com|accessdate= April 24, 2024}}

=Post-major leagues=

Before the 1935 season, the Dodgers traded Frederick to Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League, where he hit a career-high .363. In 2005, he was elected to the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame.Beverage, Richard. The Hollywood Stars (Arcadia Publishing, 2005), p. 13.

Frederick was the manager for the Portland Beavers in 1940.