Infield: First baseman Mike Fiore (1968-72) had an outstanding rookie year for the expansion Royals at age 24, batting .274 in 107 games with a little bit of power and, more important, enough walks to push his on-base percentage to .420. If he had qualified for the batting title, he would have been second in the league in on-base percentage. He never batted .200 again, and his career fizzled quickly. (He appears to be no relation to the other Mike Fiore, born about two decades later, who starred at University of Miami, played briefly in the minors and then became a major force in amateur baseball in the U.S.) Second baseman Mike Fontenot (2005- ) is a lefty-swinging infielder who hits well enough and fields well enough to stick around. Third baseman Mike Ferraro (1966-72) came up with the post-dynasty Yankees, played briefly for the Seattle Pilots and had one full season with the Brewers. Nothing special as a player, but he had a long career as a coach and manager. He coached third-base for the Yankees, and after he got a runner thrown out at home during an ALCS game, Steinbrenner tried to fire him on the spot. It didn’t take, but manager Dick Howser was so disturbed by the Boss’ actions that he left the Yankees at the end of the season. He worked with Howser again in Kansas City, was part of the coaching staff that won the World Series in 1985, and later took over the team when Howser died of a brain tumor. Shortstop Mike Fischlin (1977-87) was a middle infielder who couldn’t hit.
Outfield: Left fielder Monty Fariss (1991-93) was a devastating player at Oklahoma State University and a high first-round draft pick, but his professional career never took off. Right fielder Max Flack (1914-25) was a decent enough hitter, had a little bit of speed, and earned his spot in the annals of baseball trivia on May 30, 1922, when the Chicago Cubs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals between games of a doubleheader. Flack played the first game for the Cubs, switched clubhouses (with Cliff Heathcote going the other way) and played for the Cardinals in the second game. Center fielder Mike Felder (1985-94) was known as “Tiny,” though at 5-8 and 160 pounds he was bigger than Max Flack. Felder ran well, fielded alright, but was never much of a hitter.
Catcher: Mike Fitzgerald (1983-92) spent the better part of a decade as a backup and part-time starter, batting 150-350 times per season.
Rotation: Mark Fidrych (1976-82) was a great pitcher for one year and a legend for the rest of his life. “The Bird” was an instant sensation, a gawky-looking kid who talked to the baseball, played with the dirt on the pitcher’s mound, and oh by the way, won 19 games and led the league in ERA as a 21-year-old rookie in Detroit. He brought a great joy and innocence to the game, and he became a huge drawing card, especially at home, where his 18 starts in Tiger Stadium accounted for half of the team’s attendance. He injured his knee during spring training in 1977 and missed most of the season, and later developed a torn rotator cuff. Tigers manager Ralph Houk was criticized for working Fidrych so hard, wringing complete games out of a young pitcher (sometimes in extra innings). He remains a mythological figure and the subject of much speculation, as fans suggest that the injuries cut short a Hall of Fame career but statistical analysts argue that he was never destined for a long, productive career. Mike Flanagan (1975-92) was the opposite of Fidrych, a lefty with a long, productive career who never did much to draw attention to himself. He had 167 career wins, and he won the Cy Young Award in 1979 when he went 23-7 for the pennant-winning Orioles. Marvin Freeman (1987-97) was a 6-foot-7 stringbean who was known as Starvin’ Marvin. He had occasional success, both as a starter and as a reliever. Marion Fricano (1952-55) was a decent pitcher for some terrible Philadelphia A’s teams. Maximilian Fiske (1914) went 12-12 for Chicago in the Federal League.
Bullpen: Closer Mike Fornieles (1952-63) was a Cuban righty who bounced around the American League and had some good seasons. Mike Fetters (1989-2004) was a big right-hander who had a long career as a set-up man and occasional closer. During his prime, he was a consistently good reliever. Mike Fyhrie (1996-2002) had a 4-11 career record despite an ERA that was better than league average. Mark Freeman (1959-60) was a 6-foot-6 righty who never got a foothold in the majors. Matt Ford (2003) knocked around the minors for years and was pretty good, but he only got one shot in the majors. He pitched pretty well, for a full season at age 22, but he never got called up again. Mort Florh (1934) was a lefty who did nothing noteworthy in the majors. Miguel Fuentes (1969) went 1-3 for the Seattle Pilots.
Bench: Matt Franco (1995-2003) was a valuable utility guy who could play almost anywhere on the field and who was a capable hitter. He is also the nephew of Kurt ("Captain Ron") Russell, which is a nice bonus. Mike Figga (1997-99) is a backup catcher. Infielder Moe Franklin (1941-42) was a career minor-leaguer who spent a couple of seasons with the Detroit Tigers. Outfielder Mark Funderburk (1981-85) was a minor-league slugger who struck out a lot and didn't get on base enough, and he didn't get much of a shot in the bigs. Mike Frank (1998) was a decent minor-league outfielder who hit .295 with a bit of power and bit of speed, but he never stuck in the majors.
Manager: Marvis Foley won Triple-A championships in the International League, the American Association and the Pacific Coast League, the only manager to pull off that trifecta.
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