Frank DeWitt Baldwin (December 25, 1928 – November 18, 2004) was an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player, a
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...
who played one full season in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
with the
Cincinnati Redlegs
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
. The native of
High Bridge, New Jersey
High Bridge is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 3,648,Boston Braves, then played briefly in the Brooklyn Dodger organization before being selected by Cincinnati in the 1952 Rule 5 draft. As a member of the 1953 Redlegs, he played in only 16 games and batted 20 times, collecting two
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
. The first was a
pinch hit
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Americ ...
Paul LaPalme
Paul Edmore LaPalme (December 14, 1923 – February 7, 2010) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played from 1951 through 1957 for four different teams in Major League Baseball. Listed at , , he batted and threw left-handed.
A nativ ...
on May 2; the second came three weeks later, during one of his three 1953 starting catcher assignments, against
Eddie Erautt
Edward Lorenz Sebastian Erautt (September 26, 1924 – October 27, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. The right-handed pitcher, listed as tall and , appeared in 164 games over six seasons in Major League Baseball for the Cincinna ...
of the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. Baldwin was Cincinnati's third-string receiver that year, playing behind
Andy Seminick
Andrew Wasal Seminick (September 12, 1920 – February 22, 2004) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1943 and 1951, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs ...
and
Hobie Landrith
Hobart Neal Landrith (born March 16, 1930) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1950 through 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Franci ...
.
Ed Bailey
Lonas Edgar Bailey, Jr. (April 15, 1931 – March 23, 2007) was an American professional baseball player and later served on the Knoxville, Tennessee city council. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from through . A six-time All-S ...
and
Hank Foiles
Henry Lee Foiles Jr. (born June 10, 1929) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball between and . He had an eleven-year career for seven different teams in Major League Baseball. He was ...
, also
rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...
s, also caught a handful of games for the Redlegs that season. They would go on to long MLB careers.
Baldwin returned to minor league baseball in 1954, and played five more seasons, mostly at the Double-A level.
Baldwin lived in both
Hartwell Hartwell may refer to:
Places
* Hartwell, Victoria, a neighbourhood of Camberwell in Melbourne, Australia
** Hartwell railway station
England
* Hartwell, Buckinghamshire
* Hartwell, Northamptonshire, a village
* Hartwell, Staffordshire, a l ...