Frederick Thomas Beck (November 17, 1886 – March 12, 1962) was a baseball player in the major leagues from 1909 to 1911 with the

Boston Doves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies. In 1914 and 1915, he played for the

Chicago Whales The Chicago Whales were a professional baseball team based in Chicago. They played in the Federal League, a short-lived "third Major League", in 1914 and 1915. They originally lacked a formal nickname, and were known simply as the "Chicago Fed ...

of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

. In one season (1910), Beck tied two other players for the league lead in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. Beck played minor-league baseball for many years, missing one season due to service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He retired from professional baseball after the 1926 season.

Biography

Born and raised in

Havana, Illinois Havana is a city in Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,301 at the 2010 census, and 3,040 at a 2018 estimate. It is the county seat of Mason County. History Havana was a major ancient American settlement two thousand years ...

, Beck got his start in organized baseball with semi-pro teams in Havana. He began his professional career with Bloomington of the

Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League The Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League was a Minor League Baseball organization that operated for the better part of 60 seasons, with teams based in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. The league began pla ...

in 1905. The team planned to use Beck as a pitcher, but he had problems throwing strikes, so he was placed in the outfield. He played with Bloomington until mid-1908, when he was sold to the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League for $750. Beck made his major-league debut with the Boston Doves in 1909. In , he tied for the major league lead in

s with 10. He split 1911 between the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies and spent 1912 and 1913 with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

of the International League. In late 1913, Beck was elected to the board of directors of a players union known as the Baseball Players' Fraternity. Beck was elected in the first year that International League players were allowed representation on the board. Before the season started, he signed on to the Federal League's Chicago Whales. As Beck had just hit .240 for Buffalo in 1913, Whales manager Joe Tinker predicted a difficult battle for first base between Beck and Bill Jackson, but Beck was the regular first baseman, playing 157 games for the Whales in 1914 and 110 games in 1915. He returned to the minor leagues for 1916 and 1917. Beck was called into military service during

in 1918. He returned to the minor leagues as a player between 1919 and 1926, becoming a player-manager for the 1926 season with the Cedar Rapids Bunnies. Late in his life, Beck was a clerk at the Taylor House Hotel in his native Havana. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Mason District Hospital in Havana in 1962 after being in the hospital for a month. He was interred at Laurel Hills Cemetery in the same city.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, Fred National League home run champions 1886 births 1962 deaths Boston Braves players Cincinnati Reds players Philadelphia Phillies players Chicago Whales players Baseball players from Illinois People from Havana, Illinois Major League Baseball first basemen Minor league baseball managers Bloomington Bloomers players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Peoria Distillers players South Bend Benders players Peoria Tractors players Wichita Jobbers players Wichita Witches players Wichita Falls Spudders players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Memphis Chickasaws players Wichita Izzies players Lincoln Links players Cedar Rapids Bunnies players

Biography

See also

References

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