Fred Hatfield

Who was Fred Hatfield?

Fred James Hatfield, nicknamed "Scrap Iron", was a Major League Baseball infielder who played 9 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Cincinnati Redlegs.

Born in Lanett, Alabama, Hatfield signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1942. Hatfield played in 722 games and had a career batting average of .242 with an on-base percentage of .332. He had 493 hits, 248 bases on balls, and 165 RBIs.

Hatfield played in the infield, with 408 games at 3rd base, 179 games at 2nd base, and 27 games at shortstop.

Hatfield was among the American League leaders in being hit by pitch in 1952, 1954, 1956, and 1957. He was also among the league leaders in 1955 for sacrifice hits and intentional walks. Hatfield died in 1998 at age 73 in Tallahassee, Florida.