CLEARWATER, Fla. — The late Jim Fregosi left a profound impression on teams throughout the major leagues, and the former Braves special assistant and ex-Phillies manager was honored by those two NL East rivals during an on-field ceremony before Wednesday's Grapefruit League game between the two NL East rivals at Bright House Field.
Fregosi, 71, died Feb. 14 after suffering multiple strokes a few days earlier during a Major League Baseball cruise in the Cayman Islands. He spent the past 13 years as a special assistant to Braves general managers John Schuerholz and Frank Wren, who took part in Wednesday’s ceremony along with Braves coaches Roger McDowell, Greg Walker and Terry Pendleton.
Fregosi’s wife, children and grandchildren stood near home plate and were embraced by representatives of 10 teams he played for, managed or worked for as a scout or executive during more than five decades in professional baseball, mostly of them players who wore Fregosi jerseys of teams they played for while he was with that team.
McDowell (Mets), Walker (White Sox) and Pendleton (Cardinals) all wore jerseys. Walker and Pendleton both played for teams Fregosi managed, Pendleton with the Cardinals’ Triple-A team. The 1993 Phillies pennant-winning team managed by Fregosi was represented by catcher Darren Daulton, who has battled brain cancer since being diagnosed in the summer of 2013.
Fregosi’s grandson, Robby, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Schuerholz, the former GM and current Braves president, spoke to the crowd during the ceremony and called Fregosi a “remarkable man.” Fregosi, who lived in the Tampa area, was a fixture in the scouts section at Bright House Field. His usual seat in Section 111 was left empty except for his hat, which was placed there by Wren during the ceremony. Wren sat in the next seat over.
Phillies and Braves players lined up en masse along the first- and third-base paths as Frank Sinatra’s “Winners” played on the P.A. system and a highlight reel of Fregoi’s playing and managing career was shown on the videoboard above left-center field. Fregosi was a big fan of Sinatra.
Many scouts from all over Florida came to Clearwater for the ceremony and a invitation-only event scheduled to follow the game.
