| Frank McCormick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born:(1911-06-09)June 9, 1911 New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: November 21, 1982(1982-11-21) (aged 71) Manhasset, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1934, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 1948, for the Boston Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .299 |
| Home runs | 128 |
| Runs batted in | 954 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Frank Andrew McCormick (June 9, 1911 – November 21, 1982) was an Americanbaseballfirst baseman who played fifteen seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Buck" in honor ofFrank Buck,[1] he played for theCincinnati Reds,Philadelphia Phillies andBoston Braves from 1934 to 1948. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and 205 pounds (93 kg).
McCormick signed with the Cincinnati Reds as an amateur free agent in 1934 and played for theirminor league affiliate inBeckley until September of that same year, when the Reds promoted him to the major leagues. After spending twelve seasons with the organization, McCormick was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent the next two seasons. In the middle of the 1947 season, he was released and subsequently joined the Boston Braves, where he played the1948 World Series as his final appearance in a major league game. He is most famous for winning theNational League Most Valuable Player Award in 1940, the second of three consecutive years where a Red won the award. The Reds were only the second team to ever have a player on the roster win the award in three straight seasons (the first was thePhiladelphia Athletics, who did so from 1931 to 1933) and the first to do so with three separate players, which has only been accomplished three times since.
McCormick was born on June 9, 1911, in New York City.[2] His father, Andrew McCormick, was arailroad worker. As a child, he playedsandlot ball and participated in baseball at his high school and church's leagues, playing in theoutfield. He made the decision to play professional baseball at seventeen and tried out for several major league teams. After he was rejected by thePhiladelphia Athletics,Washington Senators andNew York Giants, in 1934, he took a $50 loan (equivalent to $1,175 in 2024) from his uncle in order to go to theCincinnati Reds' tryout held inBeckley, West Virginia.[1]
McCormick's manager at the sandlot team encouraged him to switch positions tofirst base, citing how there was less competition for the spot compared to the outfield. His performance at the tryout left a lasting impression on former major league player and renowned scoutBobby Wallace, who signed the 23-year-old.[1]
McCormick began his professional baseball career for the Beckley Black Knights, aminor league baseball team that were members of theMiddle Atlantic League. In 120games played and 487at bats that season, he posted abatting average of .347 and garnered 169hits.[3] His stellar performance that year earned him a promotion to the major leagues.[1] After he was exiled back to the minors, he split the1935 season between five teams—theDayton Ducks,Decatur Commodores,Nashville Volunteers,Fort Worth Cats andToronto Maple Leafs—and batted .277 and made 121 hits throughout the entire season.[3] In1936, he moved to theDurham Bulls, a minor league baseball team that competed in thePiedmont League. He began the season in a disappointing fashion before his manager,Johnny Gooch, advised him to modify his batting grip. The change helped McCormick tremendously, as he led the league with a .381 batting average that season[1] and finished with 211 hits, 49doubles and 15home runs. His final stint in the minor leagues saw him bat .322 with theSyracuse Chiefs in1937.[3]
McCormick made his major league debut for the Reds on September 11, 1934, at the age of 23,[2] entering the game as apinch-hitter forpitcherRay Kolp in a 5–2 loss against theBrooklyn Dodgers.[4] He played just 12 games with the Reds and though he batted .313 in 16 at-bats, he was demoted to the minor leagues, where he was consigned for the next two seasons.[2] He was briefly brought back up to the majors in1937, but after the Reds were unable to fit him into one position, he was sent back down and remained there until September 19. In his first day back with the team, he amassed seven hits in a doubleheader[1] and finished the season with a .325 batting average in 83 at-bats.[2]
McCormick became the Reds' full-timefirst baseman from1938 onwards,[1] replacingBuck Jordan.[5] That year, he had 106runs batted in (RBI), finished third in theNational League in batting average (.327)[2] and led the majors in hits with 209.[6] In recognition of his brilliant performance in his first full year in the major leagues, McCormick was named the unofficial "Rookie of the Year" by theAssociated Press.[5]
The1939 season saw another strong showing from McCormick both offensively and defensively. He led the National League in hits (209), drove in 128 RBIs to become theleague's RBI champion[7] and finished first infielding percentage at first base (.996).[8] His impressive performance during the latter half of the season was recognized as being a key factor in the Reds' drive to win thepennant.[9] The Reds advanced to the1939 World Series, where they lost to theNew York Yankees in a four-game sweep.[10] In spite of his team's performance, he was still able to maintain a .400 batting average throughout the series. His contributions to the team that year led to him being accepted into the "Jungle Club" of Reds' infielders, who gave him the nickname "Wildcat".[1]
He was then sold to thePhiladelphia Phillies in 1946 for $30,000. In his first season there, he had just one error in 134 games at first base while being named an All Star for his ninth straight season. It did not help his cause when he was released in 1947, however, as he batted just .225 in 15 games before being released. He soon signed with the Boston Braves and platooned withEarl Torgeson, the result being that he hit .354 in 81 games. He continued the pinch-hitting in 1948, where he batted .250 for the pennant-winning Braves. He served as a pinch hitter in three games of the1948 World Series, collecting a hit in Game 3 before grounding out in the decisive Game 6 that the Braves lost.[11] He was released after the season and retired at the age of 37.[12]
In a 13-season career, McCormick posted a .299batting average with 1,711hits, 128home runs and 951runs batted in in 1,534games played.[2] An excellent first baseman, his careerfielding percentage was .995.
He was theMost Valuable Player in theNational League in1940. That season, he led the league in hits (191) anddoubles (44) as the Reds stormed to their second consecutive National League championship and the1940 World Series title. McCormick was selected to the NLAll-Star team for nine straight seasons (1938–1946, although there was no game played in1945). McCormick also led his league in hits two other times (1938–1939, with 209 each season) and in RBI in 1939 (with 128). He topped all NL first basemen infielding percentage four times in 1939, 1940, 1941, and 1946. In three World Series (1939–1940 with the Reds and 1948 with the Braves), he batted .271 with 13 hits in 14 games played.[1][2]
He is one of only three NL players with three consecutivehits titles. The others areGinger Beaumont (1902–04) andRogers Hornsby (1920–22). McCormick set an MLB first basemen record with 138 straighterrorless games (1945–46). He is a member of theCincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
At the conclusion of his 1938 rookie season, McCormick married his wife Vera (née Preedy) on October 8. Together, they had two daughters, Judith and Nancy. After his Major League career ended, McCormick went on to manage theQuebec Braves,[13]Lima Phillies andBradford Phillies, spending one season at eachminor league baseball affiliate from1949 to1951.[3] He proceeded to coach his former team—the now-renamedCincinnati Redlegs—in1955, replacingDick Bartell.[14] After his coaching tenure finished, he continued his affiliation with the Reds as a scout, as well as a broadcaster, announcer and analyst onWLWT-TV from1958 to1968,[15] before moving back to his hometown and working as the director of ticket sales for theNew York Yankees until his death.
McCormick died of cancer on November 21, 1982, inManhasset, New York, at the age of 71.[1][16] He was interred at theCemetery of the Holy Rood inWestbury, New York.[2]
