Fred Waters

Who was Fred Waters?

Fred Warren Waters was an American professional baseball player, manager, scout and coach. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 25 Major League games for the 1955–1956 Pittsburgh Pirates. Born in Benton, Mississippi, Waters attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He stood 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 185 pounds.

Apart from his trials with the Pirates, Waters had a 13-season pitching career in minor league baseball. He was first signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers, then acquired by the Milwaukee Braves in April 1953, spending most of that season with the Lincoln Chiefs of the Class A Western League. Then, on December 26, 1953, he was traded to Pittsburgh along with third baseman Sid Gordon, outfielder Sam Jethroe, pitcher Max Surkont, fellow minor leaguers Curt Raydon and Larry Lasalle, and $100,000 for third baseman Danny O'Connell. This is the only six-for-one trade in Major League history and was surpassed only by the seven-for-one deal that sent Vida Blue from the Oakland Athletics to the San Francisco Giants in 1978.

Waters appeared in two games in relief for the Pirates at the end of the 1955 season, then worked in 23 games for the Pirates over the last three months of 1956 after his recall from the Open-Classification Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League. Both of his MLB victories came in starting roles. His first big-league triumph came on July 26, when he went seven shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs, allowing only four singles and three bases on balls. Howie Pollet relieved Waters in the eighth inning with two runners on base, and preserved the 4–0 shutout win.