Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi argues with umpire Ian Lamplugh of Victoria, B.C.
James Louis Fregosi Jr.
Born: April 4, 1942 (San Francisco, California)
Died: February 14, 2014 (Miami, Florida)
Jim Fregosi managed the Toronto Blue Jays to consecutive third-place finishes in the American League East in 1999 and 2000. He had a 167-157 record as manager of the Blue Jays.
He replaced Tim Johnson as Toronto skipper during spring training in 1999. He was replaced by Buck Martinez, a former Blue Jays catcher and now a broadcaster.
The one time he reached the World Series as a manager came in 1993 when his Philadelphia Phillies were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays in six games.
Jim Fregosi was a seven-time all-star who won a Gold Glove as a shortstop in 1967 with the California Angels. The son of San Francisco grocers broke in with the expansion Angels as a 19-year-old in 1961.
Over 18 seasons, he hit .265 with 151 home runs. He collected runs batted-in. In played in 1,902 games for the Angels, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
He was a key player in one of the most notorious trades in New York baseball history as the player the Mets received in exchange for Nolan Ryan, a hard-throwing but wild pitcher who went on to build a Hall of Fame career.
Fregosi handled more than 2,000 games as a manager, beginning with the Angels (1978-81) and then with the Chicago White Sox (1986-88), Phillies (1991-96) and Blue Jays.
For the last 13 years, Fregosi served as a special assistant to the general manager of the Atlanta Braves.
Fregosi suffered a stroke while aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean with other former major league players. He died in hospital in Miami.
Benched 