Books and articles about Jim Fregosi

Forever known as the man traded to the New York Mets for Nolan Ryan, Fregosi was the premier power-hitting shortstop in the AL during the 1960s and the first and only star of the expansion California Angels in the late 1960s. But after a disastrous trade brought him to Shea Stadium in December 1971 in exchange for four players -- including Ryan, a future Hall of Famer -- Fregosi faltered, hindered by injuries and an ill-timed shift to third base. Within two seasons the six-time All-Star had been sold to Texas.

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During his playing days, Fregosi was known as a cheerleader and many observers had him pegged as a future manager. Indeed, after five forgettable seasons as a backup for the Rangers and a short stint with the Pirates, Fregosi retired as a player in 1978 to replace Dave Garcia as the Angels' skipper. With Ryan as his ace, Fregosi led California to an 88-74 record and the first division title in franchise history the following year.

But the Angels' success was short-lived. Without Ryan, who defected to Houston after the season, California's pitching staff was unable to keep up the pace and the one-time AL West champs slid to sixth place in 1980. Fregosi was replaced by Gene Mauch the following May and didn't get another chance to manage in majors until Tony LaRussa was fired by the White Sox in May 1986. But Fregosi never won more than 77 games in Chicago and was released at the end of the 1988 season.

Fregosi once described the typical aspirations for a manager as "when you're fired you'll leave the team in better shape than when you were hired." He got his next chance with Philadelphia in 1991, thanks to longtime friend and former teammate Lee Thomas, who had become Phillies GM in 1988. Thomas fired incumbent Nick Leyva 13 games into the 1991 season and handed the job to Fregosi, who quickly led what had been a moribund franchise to the NL pennant just two years later. Built around blue-collar stars such as John Kruk, Darren Daulton, and Len Dykstra the Phillies won 97 games in 1993 before falling to Cito Gaston's Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling six-game series.

Unfortunately for Fregosi, the Phillies quickly fell back to the NL cellar and after a 67-95 finish in 1996 the team called on Terry Francona as the team's new manager. Fregosi's five-plus years at the helm marked the longest stint by a Philadelphia manager since Danny Ozark's tenure (1973-79) and his 431 wins ranked fourth on the Phillies' all-time list.

Fregosi joined a select group of Angels -- Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Gene Autry, and Jimmie Reese -- when his number "11" was retired in August 1998. In March of 1999, Fregosi was hired away from San Francisco (where he had been serving as a special assistant to GM Brian Sabean) to replace Tim Johnson as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. (SEW/JGR)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » December 14, 1960: The Angels and new Senators each select 28 players from a pool of American League talent. Among Los Angeles selections are P Dean Chance, SS Jim Fregosi, 1B Ted Kluszewski, and RF Albie Pearson. Washington selections include P Bobby Shantz, LF Chuck Hinton, OF Gene Woodling, and P Hal Woodeshick. » July 28, 1964: The Angels Jim Fregosi hits for the cycle to assure a 3–1 win over the Yankees. New York's only score is a Mickey Mantle homer over the CF fence at Chavez Ravine, one of only two hits off Dean Chance. It's the first homer given up by Chance in 69 innings. » May 20, 1968: in Anaheim, Angels SS Jim Fregosi joins a small group of players by hitting for the cycle a 2nd time. California beats Boston 5–4 in 11 innings. » December 10, 1971: The Angels trade SS Jim Fregosi to the Mets for four players, including OF Leroy Stanton and P Nolan Ryan. This will rank as probably the Angels' best trade. » June 1, 1978: The Angels fire manager Dave Garcia. Pirates IF Jim Fregosi is named to replace him. » May 28, 1981: Angels manager Jim Fregosi, who led the club to a 22-25 record, 71/2 games off the pace in the American League West, becomes the 3rd AL skipper to be fired this month. He is replaced by Gene Mauch. » June 20, 1986: After leading the club to a 26-38 record, Tony LaRussa is fired as manager of the White Sox and replaced by Jim Fregosi. LaRussa will be hired to manage the A's early next month. » October 7, 1988: Lou Piniella is fired as manager of the Yankees for the 2nd time, and Jim Fregosi is fired as manager of the White Sox. Dallas Green replaces Piniella, while Yankee coach Jeff Torborg will eventually replace Fregosi on November 3rd. » April 23, 1991: Manager Nick Leyva is fired by the Phillies after just 13 games, and replaced by Jim Fregosi. It is the second-fastest firing in major league history. Cal Ripken Sr. was fired by Baltimore after six games in 1988. Under Fregosi, the Phils lose their 10th in 14 games, dropping a 2–1 decision to the Mets. Jason Grimsley is the loser as both Mets score on walks. » September 30, 1996: Boston fires manager Kevin Kennedy and Philadelphia fires manager Jim Fregosi. » October 30, 1996: The Phils name Terry Francona as manager, replacing Jim Fregosi. Francona was 3B coach of the Tigers this past season. » March 17, 1999: The Blue Jays fire manager Tim Johnson and replace him with Jim Fregosi. Johnson had been under fire since admitting he had lied when he said he was a Vietnam veteran. » July 27, 2000: The Blue Jays sink the Mariners, 7-2, giving Toronto manager Jim Fregosi his 1,000th win as a big league skipper. He joins Tom Kelly, who earlier this year won his 1,000th game. » October 10, 2000: Jim Fregosi is fired as manager of the Blue Jays, the 6th down in 10 days.