Primary Positions: First base, pinch hitter
Birthplace: Waynesville
First, Middle Names: Frederick Marshall
Nickname: Snake
Date of Birth: July 19, 1895 Date and Place of Death: Oct. 12, 1987, Wendell, NC
Burial: Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh, NC
High School: Wendell High School, Wendell, NC
College: Barton College, Wilson, NC
Bats: L Throws: L Height and Weight: 6-0, 170
Debut Year: 1922 Final Year: 1923 Years Played: 2
Team and Years: Boston Braves, 1922-23
Career Summary
G AB H R RBI HR BA. OBP. SLG. WAR
29 75 14 6 7 0 .187 .218 .267 -0.6
Fred Henry played in 29 games in the major leagues, stretched over parts of two seasons, and he didn’t do much in any of them, hitting a measly .187. His career Wins Above Replacement of -0.6 is among the lowest of any North Carolinian who played in the majors.[1] It means that his teams lost almost a full game over his short career with him in the lineup.
Yet, the man with the flimsy big-league resume was among the best minor-league players in history. During his 25 years in the minors, playing for 20 different clubs in 13 different leagues, Henry amassed almost 3,400 hits. He batted over .300 in more than half the seasons he played, finishing with a .304 average. His .345 in 1930 was an International League record until Jackie Robinson surpassed it 16 years later by a mere four points. Henry is among the career minor-league leaders in hits, games played, doubles and triples, an enviable tally that should earn him a spot in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.