Fred Clarke

Twenty-four year-olds are not often found in leadership positions, but at that age, Fred Clarke fit right in as a player and skipper of a major league club. As one of the first "boy-managers" Clarke starred in left field and led his teams to win from the field and the dugout.

Fred Clarke, with 2,678 career hits and 1,602 managerial wins, excelled both on the field and in the dugout. In his first big league game, he went 5-for-5 on...

Fred Clarke put up Hall of Fame numbers as a player and manager. Learn about this Hall of Fame outfielder and see his playing and managing statistics.

Fate: "The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events." [1] Some people believe in it, some do not, though no one can be certain of its existence. But Fred Clarke was a believer in fate. In an interview with a reporter from the New York Herald in 1911, Clarke admitted, "I attribute my success to fate. ... Life is a funny game, and a little thing, almost a trifle, may make a splash in your affairs so big that the ripples from it will be felt as long as you live." [2] Skeptics might write off Clarke’s words as the ramblings of a highly successful sports figure exuding false modesty as he nostalgically looked back on his career. However, a close study of Clarke’s life shows that the fiery player-manager may have had a better feel for what was happening to him than any skeptic could imagine.

Career: 67 HR, .312 BA (88th), 509 SB (34th), LF, HOF in 1945, Pirates/Colonels 1894-1915, b:L/t:R, 1x SLG Leader, born in Unite. 1872, died 1960

Photos of Fred Clarke

A Fred Clarke obituary on Baseball Almanac.

Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was a Major League Baseball player from 1894 to 1915 and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.