Minor leagues Croucher began playing professional baseball in 1934 as the
second baseman for the
Alexandria Aces of the
Evangeline League. He hit .270 with a .395
slugging percentage at Alexandria. In 1935, he played second base for the
Springfield Senators of the
Three-I League, a farm team in the
Detroit Tigers' farm system. He improved his batting average to .347 with a .486 slugging percentage. In 1937, he advanced to the Tigers' top farm team, the
Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association. He was Toledo's starting shortstop in 1936, appearing in 152 games while compiling a .276 batting average.
Detroit Tigers Croucher impressed the Tigers during spring training in 1938, so much so that they moved long-time shortstop
Billy Rogell to third base to make room for Croucher at shortstop. Manager
Mickey Cochrane noted: "This Croucher can go a long way to get a ball. It's going to be hard to keep him off the team." However, on April 2, 1938, Croucher broke his leg while sliding into second base during a Florida exhibition game against the
St. Louis Cardinals. Upon seeing Croucher's injury, teammate
Don Ross noted: "My stomach turned over half a dozen times when I saw Frank's right leg doubled up like a pretzel. It was a terrible feeling. I'm not quite sure how I finished the game." Croucher's bone had to be screwed back together, and he was hospitalized for five weeks. Doctors and others who saw Croucher's "foot dangling at the ankle" called it one of the worst bone breaks ever seen on a baseball player and predicted he would never play again. Croucher returned from his injury in September 1938, appearing in 11 games for Beaumont.
Washington Senators Croucher missed most of 1942 with a sore arm, playing only 26 games for the Senators. In four major league seasons, Croucher played in 296 games and had a .251
batting average, with 7
home runs, 86
RBI, 94
runs, a .295
on-base percentage and a .324
slugging percentage. He missed the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons due to wartime military service.
Postwar comeback attempt After the war, Croucher attempted a comeback in the
St. Louis Browns' farm system. During the 1946 season, he played 16 games for the
Toledo Mud Hens and 85 games for the
San Antonio Missions. His batting average in 1946 was .190. He appeared in only 17 games in 1947 (eight with San Antonio, nine with Little Rock) and compiled a .196 batting average. ==Later years==