Todd Frazier

BIOGRAPHY

Todd Frazier was born February 12, 1986, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. He is an infielder in the MLB.

At the age of 12 and measuring 5 feet 2 inches and 104 pounds (47 kg),  Frazier was a star on the Toms River East American Little League All-Star team that won the New Jersey state championship and then the US East regional championship, to advance to the 1998 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Dubbed the "Beasts of the East" for their skill, power, and lucky-charm, stuffed gorilla, the team went undefeated in the tournament, and Frazier saved his best performance for the world championship game against the Far East and International-champion Kashima Little League from Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan, on August 29 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium. Beginning the game at shortstop, not only did he go 4–4 with a leadoff home run, but he was also the winning pitcher and recorded the game-winning strikeout that sealed a 12–9 Toms River win and the world championship – the first American Little League world championship since 1993.

The Cincinnati Reds selected Frazier with the 34th overall selection of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. On July 11, 2007, Frazier made his professional debut as a designated hitter for the Billings Mustangs—the Reds' Rookie-Advanced farm team in the Pioneer League—going 2-for-4 with two singles, an RBI, and a run scored. Frazier finished the 2007 season with the Dayton Dragons.

To celebrate their world championship, the Toms River team was invited by the New York Yankees to Yankee Stadium on September 1, 1998, as the Yankees faced the Oakland Athletics, and each Toms River player was introduced publicly to the crowd and invited to stand next to his Yankee position counterpart during the national anthem, which meant that Frazier, as a shortstop, was standing next to New Jersey-born Derek Jeter.

Frazier attended Rutgers University and played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. In 2005 and 2006, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2007, he started all 63 games for Rutgers, posting a .377 batting average, a .502 on-base percentage, and a .757 slugging percentage. He won Big East player of the year in 2007 and was named a Rivals.com All-American. Frazier finished in the top six all-time in every major single-season offensive category at Rutgers except triples. He set records for home runs, runs scored (87), walks (62), doubles (24) and total bases (187). He also finished second in slugging percentage (.757), second in at-bats (247), tied for third in RBI (65), fifth in hits (93) and tied for sixth in stolen bases (25). He is one of 3 Rutgers players picked in the 1st round of the MLB Draft since 1966.

On July 31, 2011, Frazier hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of Barry Zito's 1–1 hanging curveball. On May 16, 2012, Frazier hit two home runs against the New York Mets. On May 23, 2012, he hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth against the Atlanta Braves.

On May 27, 2012, Frazier homered off of the Colorado Rockies' Jamie Moyer in a 7–5 Reds' win. The home run was unusual because Frazier's bat slipped out of his hands as he was swinging. The same day, he had saved the life of a man choking on a piece of steak by administering the Heimlich maneuver. Of the latter experience, he said, "I gave two pumps and it came out . . . It was pretty surreal. I have never done that before."

On July 6, 2014, Frazier was named a National League All-Star for the first time in his career, along with teammates Johnny Cueto, Aroldis Chapman and Devin Mesoraco, and later Alfredo Simón. On July 8, he was selected to participate in the Home Run Derby. In the Derby, where Frazier's brother Charlie served as his pitcher, he won the National League bracket and represented the NL in the final, where he lost to defending champ Yoenis Céspedes.On November 5, 2012, Frazier was named the Players Choice Awards National League Outstanding Rookie by the MLB Players Association. On April 18, 2013, Frazier hit a homer for Reds' honorary bat boy Teddy Kremer, an adult with Down syndrome.

On May 12, 2015, the Reds announced that Frazier would serve as the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game spokesperson. Frazier won the 2015 MLB Home Run Derby on his home field in Cincinnati. Frazier beat the 2012 Derby champion, Prince Fielder, in the first round and defeated Blue Jay's third baseman Josh Donaldson in the second round and then beat the Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie centerfielder Joc Pederson in the final round. He became the first hometown participant to win the derby since Ryne Sandberg won as a Chicago Cub in 1990.

Frazier joined the Yankees in the 2017 season. Upon Frazier's arrival in New York, he changed his jersey number from No. 21 to No. 29, as No. 21 is unofficially retired by the Yankees for outfielder Paul O'Neill. Frazier had worn No. 21 throughout his entire career in honor of O'Neill, as he had grown up a Yankees fan in New Jersey. 

Frazier hit his first home run as a Yankee on July 26 against the Reds He finished the 2017 season hitting 26 home runs and 77 RBI with the White Sox and Yankees. With the Yankees, Frazier developed into a fan favorite and played a key role in the clubhouse as the team's emotional leader during their postseason run.

Todd Frazier put a bow on his terrific career when he made the USA Team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.