Frank Gravino
From BR Bullpen
Frank John Gravino
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 186 lb.
- Born January 29, 1923 in Newark, NY, USA
- Died April 5, 1994 in Rochester, NY, USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Frank Gravino dominated Northern League batting to the extent that when he hit 52 home runs for the Fargo-Moorhead Twins in 1953, this was 33 more than his nearest rival and topped the team totals of four clubs in the eight-team league. Among the players in the Northern League that year was Roger Maris, Gravino's roommate. Gravino also won home run titles in the 1951 Provincial League (42, 11 more than anyone else), the 1952 Northern League (32, 8 more than runner-up Wes Covington and 23 more than Hank Aaron) and the 1954 Northern League (56, 23 more than runner-up Dave Roberts). Gravino finished with 271 homers and 958 RBI in the minors despite missing three seasons due to World War II; Frank played 12 years on the farm and hit .292 overall. He led his leagues in RBI 4 times. He only spent one season as high as AAA - a solid 1948 campaign for the Rochester Red Wings. In his autobiography, Aaron wrote that Gravino had a beautiful swing.
