Frankie Zak
Shortstop · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1944-1946)
Frankie Zak was a shortstop who played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1946 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, a span of 3 seasons. In 123 career games, he hit .269 with 56 hits and 14 RBI. Frankie Zak was an All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 238.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Shortstop
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 5'10" / 150 lb
- Died
- 2/6/1972 in Passaic, NJ, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1944-04-21
- Last Game
- 1946-06-10
- Awards
- All-Star
Full name: Frank Thomas Zak
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | 208 | 43 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 23 | .269 | .350 | .303 | .653 | 238 |
Career AVG .269 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .350 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Career SLG .303 vs. league average .357 across their career seasons — 15.2% below league average.
Career OPS .653 vs. league average .685 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | PIT | NL | 87 | 160 | 33 | 48 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 22 | 18 | .300 | .261 (+15%) | .325 (+18%) | .357 (-7%) | .683 (+5%) | 238.2 |
| 1945 | PIT | NL | 15 | 28 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .143 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1946 | PIT | NL | 21 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| Career · 3 seasons | 123 | 208 | 43 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 23 | .269 | — | — | — | — | 238 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (122 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 78 | 120 | 28 | 26 | 0 | 6 | .217 |
| Away | 44 | 88 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 7 | .341 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946-06-10 | PIT | BSN | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-09 | PIT | NY1 | W | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-09 | PIT | NY1 | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-08 | PIT | NY1 | L | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-07 | PIT | NY1 | W | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1946-06-06 | PIT | BRO | L | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-05 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-04 | PIT | BRO | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-04 | PIT | BRO | W | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1946-06-02 | PIT | PHI | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Second Base | 1 |
| Shortstop | 87 |
Frankie Zak: the record in brief
According to the bio, Frankie Zak debuted on April 21, 1944 and played a final game on June 10, 1946. All of the seasons listed were played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Listed as a shortstop, Zak both batted and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds. Zak was born on February 22, 1922, in Passaic, NJ, USA. Zak died on February 6, 1972, in Passaic, NJ, USA. Zak's full given name, per the bio, is Frank Thomas Zak.
Across 123 games at the plate, Zak's career line reads 56 hits in 208 at bats for a .269 average, adding 14 RBI. Zak got on base at a .350 rate and slugged .303 (.653 OPS). The .269 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. No season topped the 48 hits of 1944. Among the seasons with the heaviest workload, the best average was .300 in 1944, 15% above that year's league mark of .261.
Frequently Asked Questions about Frankie Zak
- What years did Frankie Zak play?
- Frankie Zak played in Major League Baseball from 1944 to 1946.
- Was Frankie Zak a pitcher?
- No. Frankie Zak was a position player (Shortstop).
- How many home runs did Frankie Zak hit?
- Frankie Zak hit 0 career home runs with 56 hits.
- What teams did Frankie Zak play for?
- Frankie Zak played for one team, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1944–1946).
- Did Frankie Zak win an MVP award?
- No. Frankie Zak did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Frankie Zak win?
- Frankie Zak was selected to 1 All-Star Game.
- What were Frankie Zak's career stats?
- In 123 games, Frankie Zak had 56 hits, 14 RBI, 43 runs, and 6 stolen bases, with a .269 batting average.
- What position did Frankie Zak play?
- Frankie Zak played primarily as a shortstop, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Frankie Zak and how much did he weigh?
- Frankie Zak was listed at 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds.
- What was Frankie Zak's career batting average?
- Frankie Zak batted .269 over his career, with 56 hits in 208 at bats.
- How many RBI did Frankie Zak have?
- Frankie Zak drove in 14 runs in his career.
- Is Frankie Zak in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Frankie Zak has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- How many All-Star Games did Frankie Zak make?
- Frankie Zak was selected to 1 All-Star Game.