Before Todd Frazier became a two-time All-Star, and before he ignited Cincinnati with his Derby Home Run title, he was best known as a New Jersey kid who led his hometown team to the Little League World Series Championship.
Four months after announcing his retirement, he’s back to where it all began.
Frazier will begin broadcasting ESPN Little League baseball for the first time on Monday, calling a New England District Tournament game in Bristol, Connecticut. Frazier would later work as a TV Analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Little League World Series in Williamsport.
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“It’s all done a little bit,” Frasier said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, especially for the Little League World Championship since I’ve been a part of it. I know that and understand it really well. Kind of starting my second career here.”
Frazier, 36, led Toms River East (New Jersey) to the Little League World title in 1998 as a star short. At the age of 12, he went 4-4 with a home lead in a championship match against a team from Kashima, Japan and took the win by Karami, the first time an American team had won the title since 1993.
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He will be honored in the Little League Hall of Excellence this summer. In his five games in the Little League World Series, he went 9 for 15 with four wrecks, 10 RBI and 11 hits.
“Getting recognition in the Little League Hall of Fame is, frankly, a dream come true,” Frazier said. “I didn’t really expect anything from baseball. I always just wanted to play hard.”
The Little League World Series has always been a family affair. Fraser’s older brother, Jeff, played for the 1995 Toms River East team that went to the World Championships.
Last summer, Frazier kept his nephew, Carson, who helped Toms River East appear in the Little League World Championship. Fraser represented Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics last year after playing in just 13 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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“It’s like Major League Baseball now, the stadium is completely different,” Frazier said. “The kids are throwing more hard. Their non-quick stuff is a little better. They understand the game a little bit better. When I played, it was just a rude talent, try to hit the ball as hard as I can. Now, you have to understand that these guys can get into their positions more, They are bigger and stronger.”
Frazier says he’s open to more streaming opportunities if his experience with the Little League World Series goes well. He coaches his 8-year-old son Blake in baseball and tells him he’s going to play next in the Little League World Series.
“There’s always something we want them to look forward to,” Frazier said. “It’s helping the next generation. Those kids on this team, a group of kids who’ve seen what we’ve done and what others have done, and they have a dream now. Their dream is to get to Williamsport and they’re doing their best forward.”
Besides preparing for broadcast duties, Frasier is enjoying his first year in retirement.
“Be my dad, man,” said Fraser. “Just traveling, helping out with the house stuff, around the yard. We have a soccer flag in a couple of weeks so it’s a non-stop with the kids, man. It’s exciting times. My daughter (Kylie) does gymnastics, so we’re busy here. I’m trying to see What my wife did all these years when I was away and trying to help her a little bit.”
Reds’ surgery: Clavicle surgery went well for Tyler Stevenson
Reds player Tyler Stephenson underwent surgery to stabilize the fracture in his right clavicle on Thursday, a surgery performed by Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kermczyk.
“The surgery was a success,” Stephenson wrote on Twitter. Stevenson included a photo of him smiling after surgery and an X-ray of the fracture.
The Reds have not announced a timeline for Stevenson’s recovery, but he cannot return before September 21 because he has been placed on the injury list for 60 days. If he returns on September 21, that would give him exactly two weeks before the last game of the season.
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The Reds activated catcher Austin Romijn, a player they acquired on Tuesday after being assigned a task by the St.
Romain, the 11-year-old veteran, will give the Reds’ staff a seasoned catcher until the end of the season. Stevenson may miss the rest of the year and Aramis Garcia aggravated his injury to his left middle finger and an MRI revealed a fracture, which could sideline him throughout August.
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