Here's some great info on Lonny I found at
www.thebaseballpage.com. It doesn't mention how he got the name, "Lonny," but it does say how he got the name, "Linus," and another nickname, "Junior" ...
Lonny Frey
A three-time All-Star, Lonny Frey was practically run out of Brooklyn because of his shaky defensive play in the infield and his corrosive relationship with manager Casey Stengel. At one point during his stint as a Dodger, fans would boo and catcall each time a ball was hit in his direction, and respond with sarcastic applause when he completed a play without error. He was a fine hitter, and settled down defensively as a second baseman, enjoying his best seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, helping them to back-to-back pennants in 1939-1940. After missing two full seasons while he was serving in World War II, his career was essentially over. In 1969, as part of the franchise's 100th anniversary, Frey was selected the Reds all-time second baseman.
Career Batting Stats
G AB H R HR RBI SB AVG SLG OBP OPS OPS+
1535 5517 1482 848 61 549 105 .269 .374 .359 .734 104.1
Where does Lonny Frey rank among baseball greats?
Lonny Frey ranks #35 among the Top 50 all-time at 2B. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1939
Lonny set career-highs in batting average (.291), OBP (.388) and slugging (.452). He was also settling in at second base, committing just 18 errors, a modest figure compared to the totals he posted in Brooklyn.
Factoids
For the first five years of his big league career, Lonny Frey was a switch-hitter. In 1938, he switched to batting only from the left side.
Description
Frey was a sandlot star in St. Louis as a teenager, and received a tryout with the Cardinals when he was still quite young. He weighed just 130 pounds at the time and was dismissed. Later in his career, The Sporting News described him as a "rosy-cheeked 27-year old veteran whose secondbasemanship was an outstanding feature in Cincinnati's spring sensationalism..."
Where He Played
Frey was a shortstop when he first came up, but his defensive woes (and his weak arm) caused his switch to second base. Stengel actually considered moving him to the outfield, and briefly tried him at third.
Born
Linus Reinhard Frey was born on August 23, 1910, in St. Louis, MO.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
8 29,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1933
Bob Johnson
Lonny Frey
Dolph Camili
Pete Fox
Cecil Travis
Hal Trosky
Dutch Leonard
Schoolboy Rowe
Elden Auker
Nicknames
Junior
Frey's mother named him Linus, after the Bishop of Rome... He apparently was called "Junior" going back to his days on the sandlots in St. Louis, because of his small size.
Similar Players
Frey bore a striking resemblance to Dave Bancroft, and even drew comparisons to him as a shortstop. But Bancroft was far superior defensive shortstop than was Frey.
Related Players
Frey and Dodger pitcher Whit Wyatt were involved in a pair of fights in the late 1930s. After being traded by the Dodgers to the Reds, Frey played hard against his former team. The fans in Brooklyn had always given him a hard time.
Post-Season Appearances
1939 World Series
1940 World Series
1947 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Frey, who was still alive in 2005 at the age of 95, said in an interview: "Not many people can say they wore a size-17 collar in the World Series."
Indeed, amazingly, Frey had gone 0-for-17 in the 1939 World Series for the Reds. In 1940, Frey was injured and appeared in just three Series games, going 0-for-2. As a utility player for the Yankees in 1947, he got his third shot at the Fall Classic, but was 0-for-1 in a pinch-hitting role. Thus, he was 0-for-20 with a walk, one RBI, and no runs scored, in eight Series games.
Notes
In 1936, the 25-year old Frey was named captain of the Dodgers. By May, he was benched for his poor defensive play... In the off-season, Frey worked as a bookkeeper and stenographer.
Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
In spring training in 1934, Frey was hit on the head by pitch from Leslie Munns, a fellow Dodger farmhand. The ball hit Frey in the right temple (he was batting left-handed). He lay unconscious for 20 minutes, but finally was revived by the team physician and rushed to the hospital in Orlando, Florida. He had suffered a concussion, was out of action for about a week, won the shortstop job, and was in the lineup to start the regular season.
Transactions
December 5, 1936: Traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs for Roy Henshaw and Woody English.
February 4, 1938: Purchased by the Cincinnati Reds from the Chicago Cubs.
April 16, 1947: Purchased by the Chicago Cubs from the Cincinnati Reds.
June 25, 1947: Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Chicago Cubs.
May 18, 1948: Released by the New York Yankees.
August, 1948: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Giants.
October 3, 1948: Released by the New York Giants.
Trivia Question
Who fielded the final groundball to end the 1940 World Series, giving the Reds their first Championship in 21 years?
Trivia Answer
Lonny Frey fielded a groundball hit off the bat of Detroit's Earl Averill.
All-Star Selections
1939 NL
1941 NL
1943 NL
Replaced
The duo of Jimmy Jordan and Glenn Wright.
Replaced By
His last regular job was as the Reds' second baseman in 1943. After he went into the military, Woody Williams took that spot.
Best Strength as a Player
Frey had good judgment of the strike zone.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Frey was one of the worst defensive shortstops in baseball in the 1930s. Later, he was an average second baseman, at best, but palatable. In 34 games at short as a rookie, he made 18 errors. In 1936, he made 51 errors at short, posting a putrid .918 fielding percentage. In May he was benched when he made his 17th error in the first 38 games of the season. He was less of a liability at second, but he was never a star with the leather. He was a fan favorite in Cincinnati, however, which was a welcome change from the way the Brooklyn fans roasted him.
The level at which Brooklyn fans hounded Frey was dramatic. The World-Telegram wrote, on July 22, 1936:
"So prone to err in the field was [Frey] and so futile at bat that boos and catcalls became his daily salutation. Indeed, there were times when the sentiment against him caused [Dodger manager] Casey Stengel to take him from the line-up and there was considerable talk of shipping him down the river."
One unidentified Dodger teammate said: "When they roast a ball player like that, a fellow might as well root to be traded. No one with any sensibilities at all can listen to that kind of a roar and not get the jitters and become ten times worse."
Ironically, during his Dodger days, Frey seemed to thrive away from the boos at Ebbets Field. In away games he hit 20-30 points higher, and his fielding improved a bit, as well.
Another weakness was his weak throwing arm.