View source for Freddie Patek

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1944)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Freddie Patek
|image=Fred Patek Kansas City Royals.jpg
|caption=
|position=[[Shortstop]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1944|10|9}}
|birth_place=[[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=June 3
|debutyear=1968
|debutteam=Pittsburgh Pirates
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=October 3
|finalyear=1981
|finalteam=California Angels
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Batting average (baseball)|Batting average]]
|stat1value=.242
|stat2label=[[Home run]]s
|stat2value=41
|stat3label=[[Run batted in|Runs batted in]]
|stat3value=490
|stat4label=[[Stolen base]]s
|stat4value=385
|teams=
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1968}}–{{mlby|1970}})
* [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1971}}–{{mlby|1979}})
* [[California Angels]] ({{mlby|1980}}–{{mlby|1981}})
|highlights=
*3× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1972 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1972]], [[1976 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1976]], [[1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1978]])
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual stolen base leaders|AL stolen base leader]] (1977)
* [[Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame]]
}}

'''Freddie Joseph Patek''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɑː|t|ɛ|k}}; born October 9, 1944), nicknamed "'''the Flea'''" or "'''the Cricket'''", is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[shortstop]] who played in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) for the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Kansas City Royals]] and [[California Angels]]. At {{convert|5|ft|5|in|cm}} tall, he was the shortest MLB player of his time.

==Career==
===Pittsburgh Pirates===
Patek was drafted by the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] in the 22nd round of the [[1965 Major League Baseball draft]] out of [[Seguin Independent School District#High School|Seguin High School]] in [[Seguin, Texas]]. He made his major league debut on June 3, 1968, against the [[Los Angeles Dodgers]] at shortstop,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN196806030.shtml|title=Los Angeles Dodgers 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 0|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=1968-06-03}}</ref> and played all but six of his 292 games with the Pirates at shortstop. However, with All-Star [[Gene Alley]] firmly entrenched at shortstop there was a desire on the part of management to convert him into a [[utility player]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050724&content_id=1143925&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329132659/http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050724&content_id=1143925&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2012|title=Catching up with Freddy Patek, Diminutive shortstop was large part of Royals' success|work=MLB.com|date=2005-07-25}}</ref>

===Kansas City Royals===
Patek was traded along with [[Bruce Dal Canton]] and [[Jerry May (baseball)|Jerry May]] from the [[1970 Pittsburgh Pirates season|Pirates]] to the [[1971 Kansas City Royals season|Royals]] for [[Jackie Hernández]], [[Bob Johnson (pitcher)|Bob Johnson]] and [[Jim Campanis]] at the [[Winter Meetings]] on December 2, 1970.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19701203&id=9owsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JMwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7250,654301&hl=en "Bucs Swing 6-Player Deal with Kansas City Royals," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Thursday, December 3, 1970.] Retrieved November 1, 2022.</ref> In his first season with the Royals, Patek hit for the cycle on July 9, 1971, and led the [[American League]] with 11 [[triple (baseball)|triples]] to finish sixth in A.L. M.V.P. balloting. He earned his first of three [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] selections the following season,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19780707&id=h04sAAAAIBAJ&pg=4534,1466029|title=Freddie Patek, Champion of the Little Guy|publisher=Herald-Journal|date=1978-07-07}}</ref> and was a staple of the Royals line-up that won the [[American League West]] from [[1976 Kansas City Royals season|1976]] through [[1978 Kansas City Royals season|1978]]. He led the American League with 53 stolen bases in [[1978 Kansas City Royals season|1977]]. For 8 consecutive years, Patek posted 30 or more stolen bases and he led the American league in double plays turned 4 straight years. A memorable image was captured by [[NBC Sports|NBC]] television of Patek sitting painfully alone in the Royals' empty dugout<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/playoffs-kansas-city-royals-freddie-patek-upset-alone-in-news-photo/93044780 |title=Kansas City Royals Freddie Patek, 1977 AL Championship Series |date=October 9, 1977 |via=[[Getty Images]]}}</ref> while the [[1977 New York Yankees season|New York Yankees]] celebrated on-field their come-from-behind victory to win the last game of the [[1977 American League Championship Series]], played in Kansas City on Patek's 33rd birthday. The game and series ended when Patek grounded into a [[double play]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1977/B10090KCA1977.htm |title=New York Yankees 5, Kansas City Royals 3 |website=[[Retrosheet]] |date=October 9, 1977}}</ref> He&nbsp;was the starting shortstop for the American League in the [[1978 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1978 All-Star Game]].<ref name=fchbrptk>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K08yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ieYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3515%2C602007 |work=Lawrence Journal-World |location=Kansas |agency=Associated Press |title=Fans choose Brett, Patek |date=July 5, 1978 |page=14}}</ref><ref name=shostrt>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s75eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MzEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2738%2C1872775 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |agency=Associated Press |last=Tucker |first=Doug |title=Short starter |date=July 7, 1978 |page=4B}}</ref>

A durable player at shortstop, he ranks among the Royals all-time leaders in hits (1,076), walks (413), runs scored (571), stolen bases (336), and games played (1,245).

[[File:George Brett Freddie Patek and Gerald Ford (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|[[George Brett]], Patek, [[Amos Otis]], and [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford]]<!--(left to right)--> in&nbsp;1976]]

===California Angels===
Following the 1979 season, Patek signed as a [[free agent]] with the [[California Angels]]. He became the second shortstop, after [[Ernie Banks]], to hit three home runs in a single game on June 20, 1980, against the [[Boston Red Sox]] at [[Fenway Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS198006200.shtml|title=California Angels 20, Boston Red Sox 2|publisher=Baseball-Reference.com|date=1980-06-20}}</ref> In 1981, Patek was relegated to a utility role, actually seeing more playing time backing up [[Bobby Grich]] at [[second base]] than he did at short.

Patek retired after the 1981 season with a career [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] of .242 with 41 home runs and 490 runs batted in.

Patek was better known for his speed and his defensive abilities; former manager [[Whitey Herzog]] called Patek the best [[artificial turf]] shortstop he ever managed, ranking him even higher than [[Ozzie Smith]]. When asked by a reporter what it felt like to be the smallest player in the major leagues, Patek replied, "I'd rather be the smallest player in the majors than the tallest player in the minors."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15326484/half_the_games_90_percent_mental/ |title=Half the game's 90 percent mental |newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel|Fort Lauderdale News]] |first=Bernie |last=Lincicome |date=May 8, 1980 |access-date=November 23, 2017 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Although Patek played in four [[American League Championship Series]], his teams never reached the [[World Series]]. The Pirates won the World Series the season after Patek left the Pirates ({{wsy|1971}}), and the Royals lost the World Series the season after Patek left the Royals ({{wsy|1980}}). Baseball analyst [[Bill James]] has ranked Patek, a member of the [[Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame]], the 14th best player in Royals' history.

==Personal life==
Patek briefly served as a part-time baseball analyst for [[Major League Baseball on NBC|NBC]] after his retirement. He was a color commentator for Texas Rangers games on television in 1985.

On July 21, 1992, Patek's daughter Kimberlie was [[Tetraplegia|paralyzed from the neck down]] in a car accident.<ref name=mcquade/> Community fund raisers and charity events, and a donation from the [[Baseball Assistance Team]], helped the family defray significant medical expenses.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/14/sports/baseball-for-pateks-the-safety-net-fails.html?pagewanted=all |title=For Pateks, the Safety Net Fails |first=Ira |last=Berkow |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 14, 1993 |access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref><ref name=asbury/> Kimberlie died on June 14, 1995.<ref name=mcquade>{{cite web |url=http://articles.philly.com/1995-06-15/sports/25690486_1_mark-mcgwire-spinal-injury-stat |title=Dingers & Zingers |first=Drew |last=McQuade |website=[[Philadelphia Media Network|philly.com]] |date=June 15, 1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221211704/http://articles.philly.com/1995-06-15/sports/25690486_1_mark-mcgwire-spinal-injury-stat |archive-date=December 21, 2015 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref><ref name=asbury>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15326704/kimberlie_patek_23_ballplayers/ |title=Kimberlie Patek, 23, ballplayer's daughter |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[Asbury Park Press]] |location=[[Asbury Park, New Jersey]] |date=June 15, 1995 |access-date=November 23, 2017 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Baseball}}
* [[List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web |url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/1143925// |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105050958/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/1143925 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2015 |title=Catching up with Freddy Patek |first=Dick |last=Kaegel |website=[[MLB.com]] |date=July 25, 2005}}

==External links==
* {{baseball stats |mlb=120280 |espn=214 |br=p/patekfr01 |fangraphs=1010052 |brm=patek-001fre |retro=P/Ppatef101 }} [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/freddie-patek/ SABR BioProject]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach}}
{{Succession box| before = [[Jim Ray Hart]] | title = [[Hitting for the cycle]]| years = July 9, 1971 | after = [[Dave Kingman]]}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Major League Baseball annual triples leaders|American League Triples Leader]]|years=1971|before=[[César Tovar]]|after=[[Carlton Fisk]] & [[Joe Rudi]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{AL stolen base champions}}
{{Kansas City Royals}}
{{Major League Baseball on NBC}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patek, Freddie}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars]]
[[Category:American League stolen base champions]]
[[Category:Asheville Tourists players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Texas]]
[[Category:California Angels players]]
[[Category:Columbus Jets players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Gastonia Pirates players]]
[[Category:Kansas City Royals players]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball shortstops]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Oklahoma City]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Seguin, Texas]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]