Frank Parkinson

Frank Joseph Parkinson
(Parky)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut April 13, 1921
• Final Game September 27, 1924
• Born March 23, 1895 in Dickson City, PA USA
• Died July 4, 1960 in Trenton, NJ USA

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Biographical Information

Frank Parkinson was a defensive whiz without much of a bat. After a weak offensive year as a rookie shortstop with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1921, he added some power with the same team in 1922, hitting 15 homers to finish seventh in the National League but still posting an OPS+ of only 87. He became a part-timer in 1923 and 1924, playing second, third, and short each year.

For his career, Parkinson hit 22 of his 24 home runs (91.7%) playing at home in the Baker Bowl, the highest percentage among modern era players with 20 or more career homers. In the Phillies' double-header sweep of the Chicago Cubs on September 20, 1922, Frank was a combined 5 for 8 with 7 RBI and 4 runs scored, belting a 3-run homer in each game. He is one of five Phillies second basemen with one or more home runs and three or more RBI in consecutive games (Chase Utley did it six times, the others only once), but is the only one to do so in both ends of a double-header.

Defensively, Parkinson played shortstop in 1921 with good range. In 1922 he played second base, and one fan calculated that he would have won the Gold Glove by the Win Shares method; this was long before Gold Gloves were first awarded, however. He also set the record in 1922 for the most fielding chances by a second baseman in a doubleheader (of 18 innings). And in September 1922, he had 11 assists for three games in a row.

He was with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1926.

Related Sites

• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Frank Parkinson