Frankie Frisch
The "Fordham Flash" earned his nickname honestly — Frisch stole 419 bases during his 19-year career while hitting .316, a rare combination of speed and contact hitting that defined the dead-ball era's transition into the modern game. His 1931 MVP season with the Cardinals saw him hit .311 with 28 steals, leading St. Louis to a World Series championship.
What separated Frisch from other second basemen of his era was his durability and consistency. He played over 140 games in 13 different seasons, amassing 2,311 career games while maintaining that .316 average across nearly two decades. The three-time All-Star represented the prototype of the complete middle infielder — solid defensively, dangerous on the basepaths, and clutch with the bat.
Frisch's 1,244 career RBIs from the two-hole demonstrate his ability to drive in runs despite limited power, finishing with just 105 home runs. He understood his role perfectly in an era when manufacturing runs mattered more than launching them.
Career · Batting
19 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | NY1 | 54 | 190 | 2 | 24 | .226 | — | — |
| 1920 | NY1 | 110 | 440 | 4 | 77 | .280 | — | — |
| 1921 | NY1 | 153 | 618 | 8 | 100 | .341 | — | — |
| 1922 | NY1 | 132 | 514 | 5 | 51 | .327 | — | — |
| 1923 | NY1 | 151 | 641 | 12 | 111 | .348 | — | — |
| 1924 | NY1 | 145 | 603 | 7 | 69 | .328 | — | — |
| 1925 | NY1 | 120 | 502 | 11 | 48 | .331 | — | — |
| 1926 | NY1 | 135 | 545 | 5 | 44 | .314 | — | — |
| 1927 | STL | 153 | 617 | 10 | 78 | .337 | — | — |
| 1928 | STL | 141 | 547 | 10 | 86 | .300 | — | — |
| 1929 | STL | 138 | 527 | 5 | 74 | .334 | — | — |
| 1930 | STL | 133 | 540 | 10 | 114 | .346 | — | — |
| 1931 | STL | 131 | 518 | 4 | 82 | .311 | — | — |
| 1932 | STL | 115 | 486 | 3 | 60 | .292 | — | — |
| 1933 | STL | 147 | 585 | 4 | 66 | .303 | — | — |
| 1934 | STL | 140 | 550 | 3 | 75 | .305 | — | — |
| 1935 | STL | 103 | 354 | 1 | 55 | .294 | — | — |
| 1936 | STL | 93 | 303 | 1 | 26 | .274 | — | — |
| 1937 | STL | 17 | 32 | 0 | 4 | .219 | — | — |
| Career | 2311 | 9112 | 105 | 1244 | .316 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.