Fred Blanding
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Frederick James Blanding (February 8, 1886 - July 16, 1950), nicknamed "Fritz," was a right-handed pitcher with the Cleveland Naps for five seasons from 1910-1914. Born in Redlands, California, Blanding attended the University of Michigan (1909-1910) before playing in the major leagues. Blanding made his major league debut in 1910 by defeating Walter Johnson 3-0 on a six-hitter. In his major league career, Blanding appeared in 144 games for the Indians, 86 as a starter and 58 as a reliever. In 1912, he posted a record of 18-14 with 23 complete games in 262 innings pitched. His earned run average in 1912 was 2.92 -- well below the league average of 3.44. His Adjusted ERA+ was 118. Blanding had another strong season in 1913, going 15-10 with an ERA of 2.55 and an Adjusted ERA+ of 119. In 1914, Blanding signed with Chicago of the Federal League [1] and became embroiled in controversy, as the Federal League sued to keep Blanding from playing with Cleveland. (David Fleitz, "Shoeless: The Life and Times of Joe Jackson," p. 90) Blanding died in 1950 at age 64 in Salem, Virginia.
