Bill Froats
From BR Bullpen
William John Froats
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- School University of Notre Dame
- High School Cardinal Hayes High School
- Debut April 22, 1955
- Final Game April 22, 1955
- Born October 20, 1930 in New York, NY USA
- Died February 9, 1998 in Minneapolis, MN USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Bill Froats a native of New York, New York, had been pitching for the University of Notre Dame until signing as an amateur free agent with the Detroit Tigers before the 1951 season. The 6"0", 180 lb. left-hander would spend his winningest season during his six year minor league career with the Durham Bulls of the class B Carolina League, his first year in pro ball, going 8-5 with a 3.27 ERA while pitching 143 innings.
All set for his second season in baseball Bill had to pull up short when the United States Military Service called, and he spent the next two years (1952-1953) with the Army, during the Korean War. Froats arrived back in time for the 1954 season, suiting up with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League and had another plus .500 year at 7-5, appearing in 29 games.
Bill had a good spring training season and came North with the Tigers and the 24-year-old rookie made his major league debut on April 22, 1955 at Cleveland Stadium. It was the bottom of the 7th inning with the Tigers trailing the Indians 8 to 5. He pitched two scoreless innings for Detroit, giving up two walks and no hits. The Tigers would lose the game but Froats was not credited with the decision. This would be his only chance in the major leagues.
Froats would finish out the 1955 year with the Buffalo Bisons and the Augusta Tigers, going 0-5 for the AAA Buffalo club and 5-7 for the class A Augusta team, for a combined season record of 5-12 in 29 games. His next year was just as rough when he threw a 2-8 record with a 7.02 ERA for the Buffalo club in 1956. However he was drafted by the New York Giants from the Tigers on December 3, 1956 in the Rule V Draft.
Bill came up with arm problems in 1957, while with the Louisville team, and had no decisions in just three appearances. After the off-season rest he came back with the Corpus Christi Giants of the class A Texas League, made one appearance in a losing cause and at the age of 27 called it a career. The end results of his six years down under was 22-31 and a 4.34 ERA in 128 games.
After baseball Bill returned to his native New York City where he lived until moving to Minneapolis, MN, where he lived until his death on February 9, 1998 at the age of 67.
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