Frank Saucier
Encyclopedia
Francis Field Saucier played two months of the 1951 baseball season for the St. Louis Browns
. Although he had a spectactular minor league career, he is perhaps best known for being replaced by the shortest player in baseball history, Eddie Gaedel
, who pinch-hit for him in a stunt devised by Browns' owner Bill Veeck
in , Saucier's only season in the big leagues.
In his brief (18-game) Major League career, Saucier had one hit in 14 at bats, giving him a .071 batting average. Saucier also had three walks, scored four runs, and had one RBI. He was much more prolific in the minor leagues, however, hitting .348 in , his first pro season, at Belleville
in the Illinois State League, and followed that with a .446 average at Wichita Falls in , which led all of professional baseball. This attracted the attention of Veeck, who signed him in July, 1951, paying him a substantial bonus to return to baseball.
In 1950 in baseball, Frank batted .343 for the San Antonio Missions in the (Texas League-batting champion) and was named the Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year for that season. An injury in 1951 and two years in the U.S. Navy-Lt. during the Korean War (in addition to 38 months in World War II) short-circuited his playing time, and he never played in the majors again. Professional baseball was his "stepping stone" to Texas.
Saucier graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
with a degree in math and physics; the baseball field there is named after him. Ironically, the site is named Frank Saucier Field; his full name is Francis Field Saucier.
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...
. Although he had a spectactular minor league career, he is perhaps best known for being replaced by the shortest player in baseball history, Eddie Gaedel
Eddie Gaedel
Edward Carl Gaedel was an American with dwarfism who became famous for participating in a Major League Baseball game....
, who pinch-hit for him in a stunt devised by Browns' owner Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
in , Saucier's only season in the big leagues.
In his brief (18-game) Major League career, Saucier had one hit in 14 at bats, giving him a .071 batting average. Saucier also had three walks, scored four runs, and had one RBI. He was much more prolific in the minor leagues, however, hitting .348 in , his first pro season, at Belleville
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...
in the Illinois State League, and followed that with a .446 average at Wichita Falls in , which led all of professional baseball. This attracted the attention of Veeck, who signed him in July, 1951, paying him a substantial bonus to return to baseball.
In 1950 in baseball, Frank batted .343 for the San Antonio Missions in the (Texas League-batting champion) and was named the Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year for that season. An injury in 1951 and two years in the U.S. Navy-Lt. during the Korean War (in addition to 38 months in World War II) short-circuited his playing time, and he never played in the majors again. Professional baseball was his "stepping stone" to Texas.
Saucier graduated from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri
Westminster College, Missouri
Westminster College is a private, selective, liberal arts institution in Fulton, Missouri, USA. It was founded by Presbyterians in 1849 as Fulton College and assumed the present name in 1851. The are located on the campus. The National Churchill Museum is a national historic site and includes...
with a degree in math and physics; the baseball field there is named after him. Ironically, the site is named Frank Saucier Field; his full name is Francis Field Saucier.