Freddie Joseph Patek (; born October 9, 1944), nicknamed The Flea or The Cricket, is an American former professional baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals and California Angels. At tall, he was the shortest MLB player of his time. Career Pittsburgh Pirates Patek was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 22nd round of the 1965 Major League Baseball draft out of Seguin High School in Seguin, Texas. He made his major league debut on June 3, 1968 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at shortstop, and played all but six of his 292 games with the Pirates at shortstop. However, with All-Star Gene Alley firmly entrenched at shortstop there was a desire on the part of management to convert him into a utility player. Kansas City Royals Patek was traded along with Bruce Dal Canton and Jerry May from the Pirates to the Royals for Jackie Hernández, Bob Johnson and Jim Campanis at the Winter Meetings on December 2, 1970. In his first season with the Royals, Patek hit for the cycle on July 9, 1971, and led the American League with 11 triples to finish sixth in A.L. M.V.P. balloting. He earned his first of three All-Star selections the following season, and was a staple of the Royals line-up that won the American League West from 1976 through 1978. He led the American League with 53 stolen bases in 1977. For 8 consecutive years, Patek posted 30 or more stolen bases and he led the American league in double plays turned 4 straight years. A memorable image was captured by NBC television of Patek sitting painfully alone in the Royals' empty dugout while the New York Yankees celebrated on-field their come-from-behind victory to win the last game of the 1977 American League Championship Series, played in Kansas City on Patek's 33rd birthday. The game and series ended when Patek grounded into a double play. A durable player at shortstop, he ranks among the Royals all-time leaders in hits (1,076), walks (413), runs scored (571), stolen bases (336), and games played (1,245). California Angels Following the 1979 season, Patek signed as a free agent with the California Angels. He became the second shortstop, after Ernie Banks, to hit three home runs in a single game on June 20, 1980 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. In 1981, Patek