Franklin Burton "Dutch" Wetzel (July 7, 1893 in Columbus, Indiana – March 5, 1942 in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

) was a right-handed

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

who played for the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

from 1920 to 1921. He made his big league debut on September 15, 1920 at the age of 27. Facing the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, he came into the game as a replacement player for Baby Doll Jacobson, going 0-2 at the plate. Two days later, on September 17, he collected his first career hit. Overall, he hit .429 in seven games in 1920, walking four times and striking out only once in 21 at-bats. In 1921, Wetzel played in 61 games for the Browns, hitting .210 in 119 at-bats. Through the month of April that year his average was .364; however it steadily declined from that point. Of his 25 hits, two were doubles and two were home runs. He played in his final big league game on October 2, 1921. Overall, Wetzel hit .243 in 68 major league games, collecting 34 hits in 140 at-bats. He scored 21 runs and drove 15 runs in. Though his major league career was short, Wetzel spent 13 seasons in the minor leagues, hitting .324 with 1,503 hits. In 1920 with the Flint Halligans, he hit .387 with 33 doubles, 20 triples and 12 home runs in 115 games. He hit .319 with 30 doubles, 17 triples and 12 home runs in 1924, and in 1925 with the Des Moines Demons he hit .353 with 214 hits, 40 doubles, 9 triples and 32 home runs. He had a successful 1926 as well, hitting .352 with 206 hits, 58 doubles, 15 triples and 18 home runs for the Demons. After playing in only seven games in 1927, he hit .345 with 201 hits, 61 doubles, six triples and 20 home runs for the Omaha Crickets in 1928.BR Minors
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetzel, Dutch 1893 births 1942 deaths Major League Baseball outfielders St. Louis Browns players Minor league baseball managers Baseball players from Indiana People from Columbus, Indiana Lyons Lions players Beaumont Exporters players Des Moines Demons players Hollywood Stars players Kearney Kapitalists players Keokuk Indians players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Oakland Oaks (baseball) players Omaha Buffaloes players Omaha Crickets players Omaha Packers players Portland Beavers players San Antonio Indians players Syracuse Stars (minor league baseball) players York Prohibitionists players