Emil Frisk
Encyclopedia
John Emil Frisk was a pitcher
and outfielder
in Major League Baseball
. He played for the Cincinnati Reds
, Detroit Tigers
, and St. Louis Browns
. Frisk also had a long career in the minor leagues, where he won three batting titles and became the first minor league baseball
player to accumulate over 2,000 career hits
.
. After playing for semi-pro teams, he started his organized baseball career in 1898, as a pitcher. That season, he went 14-3 with a 2.79 earned run average
for the Canadian League's Hamilton Hams. He also batted .311. In 1899, he went to the Detroit Tigers of the Western League before being purchased by the Cincinnati Reds in August. He went 3-6 for Cincinnati and was then returned to Detroit. In 1900, Frisk went 6-9. The Western League had become the American League
, and 1901 was its first year as a "major league." Frisk hit .313 early that season but had a mediocre record as a pitcher and was released in July.
Frisk then spent 1901 to 1903 with the Denver Grizzlies of the new Western League
. It was during this period that he converted into a full-time outfielder. In 1902, he had his breakout season, batting .373 with 14 home run
s and leading the league in both categories. His slugging percentage was .618. It had been a smooth transition from pitching, but in 1903 Frisk slumped down to .273 and subsequently moved to the Pacific Coast League
. In 1904, he batted .336 with the Seattle Siwashes to win another batting championship. He was drafted by the St. Louis Browns that fall.
1905 was Frisk's only full season in Major League Baseball. He hit .261 with three home runs; those were not impressive numbers, but they were not bad for that era. Frisk's OPS+ was over 100. His fielding percentage
was below average, however, and he went back down to the minor leagues in 1906. He bounced from the American Association
's St. Paul Saints
to the Browns in both 1906 and 1907 and played his last major league game on April 23, 1907. In 158 career major league games, Frisk had a total of 135 hits. He then spent most of the next decade in the Northwestern League.
In 1908, Frisk rejoined the Seattle Siwashes. He batted just .264 that season but then increased his batting average
to .307 in 1909, which ranked him second in the batting race. He played for the Spokane Indians
in 1910 and 1911, and he moved around from Spokane, Seattle, and the Vancouver Beavers from 1912 to 1915. He won his third and final batting title in 1914, when he hit at a .320 clip. That season, he became the first baseball player in history to get 2,000 hits in the minor leagues.
Nicknamed the "Wagner
of the minors," Frisk was a consistent hitter. He hit safely over 120 times in every season from 1906 to 1914. In 1915, at the age of 40, he batted .272 and then retired from baseball. He finished his career with a .301 average in the minors. In 2003, baseball writer Bill James
named him as the best minor league player of the 1900-1909 decade.
Frisk worked as a carpenter in the offseasons, and after his baseball days, he worked as a table operator for the Pacific Coast Company. He had a wife and one son.
Frisk died in Seattle in 1923.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. He played for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, and St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
. Frisk also had a long career in the minor leagues, where he won three batting titles and became the first minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
player to accumulate over 2,000 career hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
.
Career
Frisk was born in Kalkaska, MichiganKalkaska, Michigan
Kalkaska is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,226. It is the county seat of Kalkaska County.-Geography:...
. After playing for semi-pro teams, he started his organized baseball career in 1898, as a pitcher. That season, he went 14-3 with a 2.79 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
for the Canadian League's Hamilton Hams. He also batted .311. In 1899, he went to the Detroit Tigers of the Western League before being purchased by the Cincinnati Reds in August. He went 3-6 for Cincinnati and was then returned to Detroit. In 1900, Frisk went 6-9. The Western League had become the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, and 1901 was its first year as a "major league." Frisk hit .313 early that season but had a mediocre record as a pitcher and was released in July.
Frisk then spent 1901 to 1903 with the Denver Grizzlies of the new Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
. It was during this period that he converted into a full-time outfielder. In 1902, he had his breakout season, batting .373 with 14 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and leading the league in both categories. His slugging percentage was .618. It had been a smooth transition from pitching, but in 1903 Frisk slumped down to .273 and subsequently moved to the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. In 1904, he batted .336 with the Seattle Siwashes to win another batting championship. He was drafted by the St. Louis Browns that fall.
1905 was Frisk's only full season in Major League Baseball. He hit .261 with three home runs; those were not impressive numbers, but they were not bad for that era. Frisk's OPS+ was over 100. His fielding percentage
Fielding percentage
In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball...
was below average, however, and he went back down to the minor leagues in 1906. He bounced from the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
's St. Paul Saints
St. Paul Saints
The St. Paul Saints are a professional baseball team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The Saints are a member of the North Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
to the Browns in both 1906 and 1907 and played his last major league game on April 23, 1907. In 158 career major league games, Frisk had a total of 135 hits. He then spent most of the next decade in the Northwestern League.
In 1908, Frisk rejoined the Seattle Siwashes. He batted just .264 that season but then increased his batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
to .307 in 1909, which ranked him second in the batting race. He played for the Spokane Indians
Spokane Indians
The Spokane Indians are a minor league baseball team located in Spokane, Washington, United States. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Texas Rangers since 2003. The Indians play home games at Avista Stadium...
in 1910 and 1911, and he moved around from Spokane, Seattle, and the Vancouver Beavers from 1912 to 1915. He won his third and final batting title in 1914, when he hit at a .320 clip. That season, he became the first baseball player in history to get 2,000 hits in the minor leagues.
Nicknamed the "Wagner
Honus Wagner
-Louisville Colonels:Recognizing his talent, Barrow recommended Wagner to the Louisville Colonels. After some hesitation about his awkward figure, Wagner was signed by the Colonels, where he hit .338 in 61 games....
of the minors," Frisk was a consistent hitter. He hit safely over 120 times in every season from 1906 to 1914. In 1915, at the age of 40, he batted .272 and then retired from baseball. He finished his career with a .301 average in the minors. In 2003, baseball writer Bill James
Bill James
George William “Bill” James is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics...
named him as the best minor league player of the 1900-1909 decade.
Frisk worked as a carpenter in the offseasons, and after his baseball days, he worked as a table operator for the Pacific Coast Company. He had a wife and one son.
Frisk died in Seattle in 1923.
External links
- Emil Frisk at Find-a-Grave