Frank “Home Run” Baker was a third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed “$100,000 infield”, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the World Series in 1910, 1911 and 1913. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era.

Playing in an era when hitting home runs was unfashionable, Frank Baker developed a reputation as a home run hitter when he hit 11 in 1911, and 2 more in that year’s World Series for the Philadelphia Athletics. Earning the nickname “Home Run”, he led the American League in home runs for four seasons, but with never more than 12 in any one year. Baker hit for a .307 lifetime batting average, led the American League in RBIs in 2 seasons and batted .363 in six World Series.

John Franklin Baker was born on March 13, 1886 in Trappe, Maryland and died on June 28, 1963, also in Trappe. In a career spanning 13 Major League seasons, he played for the Philadelphia A’s (1908-1914) and the New York Yankees (1916-1919, 1921-1922).