Fred Sanford (baseball)
Encyclopedia
John Frederick Sanford was a professional baseball player who was a pitcher
in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the New York Yankees
, Washington Senators
, and St. Louis Browns
. He was born in Garfield, Utah and died in Salt Lake City, Utah
.
Sanford's major league career, comprising five full seasons and five partial seasons, was mediocre. However, his prime as a pitcher was interrupted by service in World War Two; following a brief major league stint in his rookie year, he missed the next two seasons, and was already 27–28 years old in his first full season. His career ERA+ was 94, meaning he was approximately six percent worse than average in allowing earned runs relative to his era, stadiums, and league. He "ate up innings" for the lowly St. Louis Browns in 1948, when he was 4th in starts and 7th in innings pitched. Perhaps his only outstanding ability was his fielding; in 1948 he committed only 4 errors in 42 games (2nd best in the league), in 1950 and 1951 he committed no errors at all, and in 1950 he was 2nd among pitchers in range factor
per nine innings.
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...
in the Major Leagues from -. He played for 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...
, Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, 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...
. He was born in Garfield, Utah and died in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
Sanford's major league career, comprising five full seasons and five partial seasons, was mediocre. However, his prime as a pitcher was interrupted by service in World War Two; following a brief major league stint in his rookie year, he missed the next two seasons, and was already 27–28 years old in his first full season. His career ERA+ was 94, meaning he was approximately six percent worse than average in allowing earned runs relative to his era, stadiums, and league. He "ate up innings" for the lowly St. Louis Browns in 1948, when he was 4th in starts and 7th in innings pitched. Perhaps his only outstanding ability was his fielding; in 1948 he committed only 4 errors in 42 games (2nd best in the league), in 1950 and 1951 he committed no errors at all, and in 1950 he was 2nd among pitchers in range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
per nine innings.