TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River native Todd Frazier, a perennial fan favorite on every team he played for has decided to hang up his cleats after 11 years in the Major Leagues. Back in 2011, Todd Frazier was called up to the Cincinnati Reds and after his first at bat, a strikeout, manager Dusty Baker sent him back to the minor leagues.
There was something about Fraizer and a few days later, I called him on the phone and told him I wanted him on the front cover of our Toms River Magazine. It was his first magazine cover since his days after the TRELL championship in 1998.
Always humble, Frazier replied, “For what? Striking out?”
He later said after he was sent down to the minors, the media stopped calling him, and he was shocked that a small publication in his hometown wanted him as the cover story of our magazine.
“You’ll be back,” I replied. And come back, he did.
Frazier showed Dusty Baker he belonged. It was clear Baker didn’t have confidence in Frazier, but the like the energizer bunny, Todd kept going and going…all the way to the National League All-Star Team in 2014 and 2015. Frazier was there to stay.
After 5 seasons with the reds, becoming a solid power hitter, Frazier left for the White Sox before finishing his career with the Yankees and Mets. Although he was with the Yankees for just 66 games in 2017, he made a huge impact on the team’s psyche as a veteran leader that kept the energy high in the dugout.
That team came just one win from headlining to the World Series, losing the cheating Houston Astros in 7 games.
Today, Frazier simply tweeted, “Time to hang ’em up.”
“It’s been my love my whole life,” Frazier said in an interview with the New York Post. “It’s very hard to let go. Don’t get me wrong; it’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. But where I’m at in my career and where I’m at in my life, I think it was the right decision. I think it’s time to be that family figure that I’ve always wanted to be.”
“.@FlavaFraz21 was a fan favorite over 11 big-league seasons with six clubs. He hit 218 homers, made two All-Star teams, and captured the 2015 Home Run Derby, with an electrifying finish in Cincinnati. Congratulations and best wishes on your retirement,” MLB Tweeted today.
Frazier made a big impact on his teams on the field, but off the field, he made an even bigger impact on the game of baseball for the younger generations. Frazier’s accessibility to fans, young and old in Ocean County and beyond. He was always available to his fans and was a mentor to his players on and off the field.
One time, I was sitting inside the barbershop at DisneyWorld and a kid no older than 7 years old walked in. He was wearing a Reds cap with the #21 on it and a Todd Frazier 21 jersey. I texted Frazier.
“Todd, you busy? I’m sitting next to your biggest fan in Disney,” I said.
“I’m getting ready for bp,” he replied.
I took a picture of the kid and texted it to Todd. Seconds later, my phone rang. It was a facetime session from Frazier.
“Excuse me, ma’am, I have a phone call for your son,” I told the boy’s mother.
At first, the woman’s stranger danger radar went into full alarm mode, then I showed her the caller’s name, and the boy took the call.
Frazier spent a minute face-timing the child, and I am sure it’s a moment that boy will never forget.
A few years later, I was in the dugout at a Jackson Little League state championship game. Todd asked me who was winning; I told him the score and asked if he wanted me to give the boys a message.
Again, he face-timed me, and my phone sat inside the dugout for the last two innings of the game as Todd watched the game and cheered on the kids, talking to them in the dugout. The game ended with Jackson winning the game with an amazing game-winning home run.
Before ending the call, Frazier asked one question, “Did he flip the bat?”
“Oh ya, you taught him well,” I replied.
He was that kind of person, and Major League baseball never changed him.
Another time, I managed to work Todd into a helicopter flight with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez after Superstorm Sandy on board with the legendary Patrick Day and NYOnAir.
After the flight, I noticed a coldness between Frazier and Sanchez, so I asked Todd, “What’s up with that?”
“When we were up in the air, I told him maybe you can find an open receiver,” Todd replied.
It was clear Sanchez didn’t appreciate the joke.
Todd Frazier’s electric personality and energy will be missed as a player and as a role model on the field for baseball fans, but it’s certain this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing of Frazier as he’d be a welcome addition to any major league team in a variety of roles, including a hitting coach, minor league manager, or who knows even a broadcaster.
One thing is certain, the kids who play ball in Ocean County would like to continue to have Frazier hanging around the local fields cheering them on.