ATLANTA (AP) - Jim Fregosi, a former All-Star who won more than 1,000 games as a manager for four teams, died Friday after an apparent stroke. He was 71.
James Louis Fregosi was born in 1942 in San Francisco and starred in baseball, football basketball and track and field at Serra High School. He signed with the Boston Red Sox out of high school and went to the Angels in the 1960 expansion draft.
Fregosi was an infielder in the majors from 1961 to 1978, hitting .265 with 151 homers and 706 RBIs. His best seasons came with the Angels, where he was six-time All-Star as a shortstop. Fregosi left the Angels in a 1971 trade with the New York Mets that sent Nolan Ryan to California.
Fregosi later played for the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates. He began his managing career at 36 with the Angels in April 1978 - two days after his final game as a player with the Pirates.
Fregosi managed the Philadelphia Phillies to the 1993 National League pennant and the 1979 California Angels to their first American League Western Division title. He also managed the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. In 15 seasons as a manager, he posted a 1,028-1,094 record.
Fregosi ended more than 50 years in baseball as a special assistant to Braves general manager Frank Wren.
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When I was a kid, I thought this guy was a hunk.