Fred Warren Waters (February 2, 1927 – August 28, 1989) was an American professional baseball player, manager,

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 25 Major League

games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such ...

for the – 56

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. Born in

Benton, Mississippi Benton is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 415. Mississippi Highway 433 passes through the community. History Benton ...

, Waters attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He stood tall and weighed .

Career

Apart from his trials with the Pirates, Waters had a 13-season (1949–58; 1960–62) pitching career in minor league baseball. He was first signed by the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

, then acquired by the

Milwaukee Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bost ...

in April 1953, spending most of that season with the Lincoln Chiefs of the Class A Western League. Then, on December 26, 1953, he was traded to Pittsburgh along with third baseman Sid Gordon, outfielder Sam Jethroe, pitcher Max Surkont, fellow minor leaguers

Curt Raydon Curtis Lowell Raydon (November 18, 1933 – March 3, 2018) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher whose career extended from 1953 through 1961. In , he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball ...

and Larry Lasalle, and $100,000 for third baseman Danny O'Connell. This is the only six-for-one trade in Major League history and was surpassed only by the seven-for-one deal that sent Vida Blue from the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

to the San Francisco Giants in 1978. Waters appeared in two games in relief for the Pirates at the end of the 1955 season, then worked in 23 games for them over the last three months of 1956 after his recall from the Open-Classification Hollywood Stars of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. Both of his MLB victories came in starting roles. His first big-league triumph came on July 26, when he went seven shutout

innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...

against the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, allowing only four singles and three

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

. Howie Pollet relieved Waters in the eighth inning with two runners on base, and preserved the 4–0 shutout win.1956-7-26 box score
from Retrosheet Over his 25 Major League games and 56

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

, Waters allowed 55

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and compiled a strong 2.89 career earned run average. However, he issued 32 bases on balls, with only 14

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s. Waters appeared in only seven minor league games in 1958 and sat out the 1959 season completely. He became a high school baseball coach in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

.Brown, Scott, ''Baseball in Pensacola.'' Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013, page 119 But in 1960, at age 33, he returned to baseball as a pitcher-coach for the Class D Pensacola Angels of the Alabama–Florida League. In three seasons with Pensacola's professional franchise, he appeared in 73 games, largely as a starting pitcher, and compiled a 41–13

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and a sparkling 2.04 earned run average. In 1964, Waters became a manager and coach in the

farm system In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

, while continuing his high school coaching duties in Pensacola. During Waters' 22 seasons as a manager, all of them in short-season leagues (Rookie and Short Season-A levels), his teams went 681–664 (.505). Waters retired from managing after the 1986 season, and died in Pensacola three years later at the age of 62.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Fred 1927 births 1989 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Asheville Tourists players Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Mississippi Chattanooga Lookouts players Denver Bears players Diablos Rojos del México players Elmira Pioneers players Fort Worth Cats players Greenwood Dodgers players Hollywood Stars players Lincoln Chiefs players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins scouts Minor league baseball managers Mobile Bears players Navegantes del Magallanes players Newport News Dodgers players Pensacola Angels players Pensacola Senators players People from Yazoo County, Mississippi Pittsburgh Pirates players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Southern Miss Golden Eagles baseball players Tigres del México players Waco Pirates players