Frank Fernández is a former 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...

 catcher

Catcher

Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...

. He signed as an amateur free agent with the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 upon graduation from Curtis High School

Curtis High School

Curtis High School operated by the New York City Department of Education is one of seven public high schools located in Staten Island, New York City, New York. It was founded on February 9, 1904 and was the first high school on Staten Island.-History:...

 in Staten Island in . He spent six seasons in their minor league system before debuting with the Yankees as a September call-up in . He went one for three in his major league debut against the California Angels in the second game of a doubleheader

Doubleheader (baseball)

A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...

 on September 12.

Fernández backed up Jake Gibbs

Jake Gibbs

Jerry Dean "Jake" Gibbs is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees as a platoon catcher from 1962 to 1971. His strong hit record in 1968 earned him the nickname "Dead-Eye" Gibbs...

 for and . Upon former first round draft pick Thurman Munson

Thurman Munson

Thurman Lee Munson was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees...

's arrival in the major leagues, the Yankees dealt Fernández to the Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

 with Al Downing for Danny Cater

Danny Cater

Danny Anderson Cater is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, third baseman, and outfielder. He was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies at the age of 18 on June 8,...

 and Ossie Chavarria

Ossie Chavarria

Osvaldo Chavarria is a former Major League Baseball player. When he made his major league debut with the Kansas City Athletics on April 14, , he became the thirteenth Panamanian born baseball player to make it to the majors.-Career:Chavarria lied about his age, claiming to have been born in when...

 prior to the start of the season.

During the season, the A's traded Fernández to the Washington Senators

Texas Rangers (baseball)

The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...

 with Paul Lindblad

Paul Lindblad

Paul Aaron Lindblad was an American Major League Baseball left-handed middle-relief pitcher. During his career, he pitched primarily for the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics. At the time of his retirement in , he had recorded the seventh-most appearances of any left-hander in history.Lindblad...

 and Don Mincher

Don Mincher

-External links:***...

 for Mike Epstein

Mike Epstein

Michael Peter Epstein , nicknamed SuperJew, is a former Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Senators, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and California Angels from –....

 and Darold Knowles

Darold Knowles

Darold Duane Knowles is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, and the current pitching coach of the Florida State League's Dunedin Blue Jays...

. A little over a month later, he was purchased back by the A's, only to be dealt away again during the 1971 season—this time to the Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

 for Adrian Garrett

Adrian Garrett

Henry Adrian "Smokey" Garrett, Jr. is a former professional baseball player who played eight seasons for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, and California Angels of Major League Baseball. Garrett later played for the Hiroshima Carp in Japan, hitting 102 home runs in three seasons...

.

Fernández made three pinch hitting appearances with the Cubs in , but spent most of his time with their triple A affiliate, the Wichita Aeros

Wichita Aeros

The Wichita Aeros was a minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the AAA American Association from 1970 through 1984....

 before being reacquired by the Yankees in a minor league deal. He also spent time in Oakland's and the 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...

' farm system before retiring.

Fernández holds the record for the most home runs (39) for a player with a 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 :...

less than .200.