Frank Willis Carswell (November 6, 1919 – October 16, 1998) was an American
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
,
first baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
,
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 cat ...
,
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
and
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 ...
in professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
. Although he played only 16
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), ...
games in his career, for the
1953 Detroit Tigers, Carswell was one of the top
minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
hitters of the post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
era.
Born in
Palestine, Texas
Palestine ( ) is a city in and the seat of Anderson County in the U.S. state of Texas. It was named for Palestine, Illinois, by preacher Daniel Parker, who had migrated from that town.
The city had a 2020 U.S. census population of 18,544, mak ...
, Carswell attended
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
. He threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed . He signed with the Tigers in 1941, and
batted .338 in 275
at bats
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
for the
Jamestown Falcons Jamestown often refers to:
* Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in the Americas
Jamestown may also refer to
Places
Australia
*Jamestown, South Australia
Barbados
* Holetown, Saint James, Barbados; sometimes called its ...
of the Class D
Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League (PONY League). But the U.S. entered World War II after that season, and Carswell lost four years while serving in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
. By the time he returned to pick up his baseball career, he was 26 years old and his prospects for MLB stardom had been dimmed. After spending the 1946 season with the
Dallas Rebels
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
of the
Double-A Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
, Carswell was demoted to lower minor leagues for much of 1947–50, where he put up prodigious batting numbers. With the 1947
Paris Red Peppers The Paris Red Peppers Minor League Baseball team played in the East Texas League in 1946 and the Big State League In 1947. The Peppers were based in the United States city of Paris, Texas, and were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns of the Ameri ...
of the Class B
Big State League
The Big State League was a mid-level, Class B level circuit in American minor league baseball that played for 11 seasons, from 1947 through 1957. Its member clubs were exclusively based in Texas. The Corpus Christi Clippers (1955-1956), Texark ...
, Carswell earned All-Star third baseman honors, batting .364 with 36
home runs
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 ...
and 145
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
. Two years later, with the
Texarkana Bears of the same circuit, Carswell led the league in RBIs (145) and batting average (.386).
But Carswell's slugging was not confined to the mid-minor leagues. The parent Tigers promoted him, at age 31, to 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 Fiel ...
of the
Triple-A International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
in 1951, and Carswell batted .302. In 1952, he led the International League in homers (30) and batting average (.344). Then in 1953 he once again batted over .300 for Buffalo and, at 33, had his "cup of coffee" in the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
for the Tigers. In six weeks, Carswell appeared in 16 games and batted 15 times with four
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
, all
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'' ...
, and two RBIs for a .267 batting mark. He then returned to Buffalo to hit over .300 for the remainder of 1953 and all of 1954. All told, Carswell played 13 minor league seasons, compiled a lifetime batting average of .337 and hit 209 home runs.
His managing career began in early 1957 when, still an active player, he was interim manager of the
Portland Beavers
The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.
Franchise history
Many baseball teams ...
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 ...
after the sudden death from a
perforated ulcer
A perforated ulcer is a condition in which an untreated ulcer has burned through the mucosal wall in a segment of the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., the stomach or colon) allowing gastric contents to leak into the abdominal cavity.
Signs and symp ...
of skipper
Bill Sweeney on April 18. The following season, he rejoined the Detroit
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 ...
as a full-time manager, working his way up from Class D to Triple-A (including assignments with the
Syracuse Chiefs
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
and the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
) over the next 13 years (1958–70).
Carswell died at age 78 in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. He was named to the
International League Hall of Fame
The International League Hall of Fame is an American baseball hall of fame which honors players, managers, and executives of the International League (IL). It was created by the International League Baseball Writers' Association in 1947 to honor t ...
in 2010.
References
External links
, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carswell, Frank
1919 births
1998 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II
Baseball players from Texas
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Dallas Eagles players
Dallas Rebels players
Decatur Commodores players
Detroit Tigers players
Flint Dow A.C.'s players
Houston Buffaloes players
Jamestown Falcons players
Major League Baseball outfielders
Omaha Cardinals players
Paris Red Peppers players
Paris Rockets players
People from Palestine, Texas
Portland Beavers managers
Portland Beavers players
Professional Basketball League of America players
Rice Owls baseball players
Rice Owls men's basketball players
Texarkana Bears players
Toledo Mud Hens managers
Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players
Syracuse Chiefs managers
American men's basketball players
Military personnel from Texas