Todd Frazier was a two-time All-Star, and before he electrified Cincinnati with his Home Run Derby title, he was best known as the New Jersey kid who led his hometown team to the Little League World Series championship. led.
Four months after he announced his retirement, he went back to where it all began.
Frazier will begin his ESPN Little League Baseball broadcast on Monday, calling a New England field tournament game in Bristol, Connecticut. Frazier would later serve as a TV analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series in Williamsport.
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“Everything is coming full circle,” Frazier said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, especially for the Little League World Series since I’ve been a part of it. I know it and understand it really well. Here’s my second career kickstart.”
Frazier, 36, led Toms River East (New Jersey) to a Little League World Series title in 1998 as a star shortstop. At age 12, he went 4-for-4 with a leadoff home run in the championship game against a team from Kashima, Japan, and won as a pitcher, the first time an American team had won since 1993. Won the title from
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He will be inducted into the Little League Hall of Excellence this summer. In his five matches in the Little League World Series, he went 9-for-15 with four homers, 10 RBIs and 11 runs.
“Getting recognition into the Little League Hall of Fame is, honestly, a dream come true,” Frazier said. “I didn’t really expect anything from baseball. I always just wanted to work hard.”
The Little League World Series has always been a family affair. Frazier’s older brother, Jeff, played for the 1995 Toms River East team that went to the World Series.
Last summer, Frazier tracked down his nephew, Carson, who helped lead Toms River East to an appearance in the Little League World Series. Frazier represented Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics last year after playing just 13 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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“It’s like Major League Baseball now, the pitching is completely different,” Frazier said. “Kids throw harder. Their offspeed stuff is a little bit better. They understand the game a little bit better. When I played, it was just raw talent, try to hit the ball as hard as you can. Now, you have to understand that That these guys can hit more in their place, they are bigger and stronger.
Frazier says he is open to more broadcast opportunities if he has a good Little League World Series experience. He trains his 8-year-old son, Blake, in travel baseball and tells him he is ahead to play in the Little League World Series.
“There’s always something we want them to look forward to,” Frazier said. “It helps for the next generation. These kids on this team, a group of kids who saw what we did and what everyone else did, and now they have a dream. Their dream is to get to Williamsport and do their best.” are performed.
In addition to preparing for broadcast duties, Frazier is enjoying his first year in retirement.
“Being a father, man,” Frazier said. “Just walking around, helping with household items, around the yard. We’ve got flag football in a couple of weeks so it’s non-stop with the kids, man. It’s an exciting time. My daughter (Kylie) is doing gymnastics, so we’re busy here. Trying to see what my wife did all these years when I was away and trying to help her a little. ,
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“The surgery was successful,” Stephenson wrote on Twitter with a thumbs up emoji. Stephenson included a photo of him smiling after surgery and an X-ray of the fracture.
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Reds active catcher Austin Romain, a player he acquired Tuesday after being named for an assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals, and right-handed pitcher Robert Duggar from the taxi squad to start Friday’s series opener in Milwaukee. promoted.
Romain, an 11-year veteran, will give a young Reds pitching staff a seasoned catcher for the rest of the season. Stephenson could miss the rest of the year and Aramis Garcia reoccurred an injury to his left middle finger and an MRI revealed a fracture that could have sidelined him throughout August.
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