Beginning as an English teacher before moving on to journalism, Frick was a sportscaster with WOR until becoming the first director of the National League Service Bureau (PR work) in the spring of 1934. By fall, Frick had been elected president of the National League. His first act was to fully support a national baseball museum, which was to include a Hall of Fame..

After a deadlock between Frick and Cincinnati president Warren Giles, Frick was elected commissioner in 1951 while Giles took over as NL president. During Frick's tenure MLB expanded from eight to ten teams in each league, more extrensive national television contracts were hammered out, and the free-agent draft was established. Frick also worked to increase the international scope of the game by working with organizers in Japan, Latin and Central America, Holland, Italy and Africa.