Linus R “Lonny” Frey was born on August 23, 1910 in St Louis, Missouri. He signed with York of the New York-Pennsylvania League in 1932 and batted .290 in 117 games.

In 1933, he moved up to Nashville of the Southern Association and made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on August 29, appearing in 34 games and batting .319. Frey became the Dodgers starting shortstop for the next three seasons before being traded to the Cubs in 1937. The following year the Cubs sold him to Cincinnati where he blossomed as a solid-hitting infielder and was a National League all-star in 1939, 1941 and 1943. He led the league with 22 steals in 1940.

Frey was 33-years-old when he entered military service on December 11, 1943. He took basic training at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and was then posted to Fort Riley, Kansas. Private Frey became a key member of the Fort Riley Centaurs ball team that featured Murry Dickson, Harry Walker, Pete Reiser and Al Brazle. The Centaurs were Western Victory League champions in 1944 with Frey –an all-star selection - leading the circuit with a .450 batting average.

Frey remained at Fort Riley through 1945 and was discharged on November 14. He was 35 when he returned to the Reds in 1946, appearing in 111 games and batting .246. The Reds sold Frey to the Cubs in 1947, who, in turn, passed him on to the Yankees in June of that year. He saw only limited duty with the Yankees and spent a good part of the season with Minneapolis of the American Association.