Frank Croucher

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Frank Donald Croucher (July 23, 1914 – May 21, 1980), nicknamed "Dingle," [1] was a Major League Baseball infielder who played 4 years in Major League Baseball, primarily as a shortstop, for the Detroit Tigers (1939-1941) and Washington Senators (1942).

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Croucher played for the minor league Toledo Mudhens in 1937 [2] and missed the 1938 season with a broken leg. In 1939, Croucher broke into the major leagues, taking over the shortstop position from longtime Detroit favorite, Billy Rogell. Croucher lost the starting job in 1940 to Dick Bartell, but regained it 1941. Croucher played 1 inning in Game 6 of the 1940 World Series at shortstop, as a replacement for Dick Bartell, but did not bat. On December 12, 1941, Croucher was traded by the Detroit Tigers with Bruce Campbell to the Washington Senators for Jimmy Bloodworth and Doc Cramer. Croucher missed most of 1942 with a sore arm, playing only 26 games for the Senators. Croucher then went into military service during World War II. Croucher attempted a comeback after the war in 1946, playing for the Mudhens,[3] but never made it back to the major leagues.

In four major league seasons, Croucher played in 296 games and had a .251 batting average, a .295 On base percentage and a .324 slugging percentage.

Croucher died in Houston, Texas in 1980 at age 65.

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