Say hello to the new ‘Pittsburgh Dad’
Todd Frazier has shown plenty of power this spring and even clobbered a home run in the Pirates’ Grapefruit League opener Feb. 28. But his best moves may have come before a game last Sunday at LECOM Park against the Philadelphia Phillies.
While Frazier’s teammates took batting practice, the veteran infielder began dancing in the shallow outfield, the easygoing father of three generating laughs while
Rihanna’s “Work” blared over the sound system.
Although the Pirates signed Frazier because they think he still can play baseball well, this moment offered an interesting window into the 35-year-old’s magnetic and fun-loving personality.
A veteran of more than 1,200 Major League Baseball games, Frazier quickly
has become the Pirates’ elder statesmen or de facto dad, the player charged with leading a young group and someone whose off-field demeanor already has become a notice able as set.
“He’s had that role his whole life, so it kind of just suits him now to help the younger guys,” said Todd’s wife, Jackie. “That’s how he is at home, too — helps our kidsand our family.”
Frazier can help the Pirates by using his bat, glove or arm, but also with the funloving, dad-on-vacation approach that he employs. Whether that’s doing a Mr. Roboto dance for Jackie on Valentine’s Day, goofing around during batting practice, playing pranks or cracking jokes, Frazier definitely triesto keep it light.
“He’ll do anything for a laugh,” Jackie added. “And I think that’s helpful either to break the ice on a new team or to make kids feel comfortable. He’s certainly not afraid to put himself out there.”
Frazier did not get here by accident. His work on the baseball diamond has been exemplary; he’s played for the Reds, White Sox, Yankees, Mets (twice) and Rangers, five times hitting 20 or more home runs and making two All-Star teams.
But Frazier’s best asset, and his greatest value to the Pirates, l ikely involves his offfield makeup, where his outgoing personally and likability should play extremely well inside of a young clubhouse.
After all, as much as the Pirates need talented prospects, they also need veterans to set a positive example. And there’s arguably none better than the guy known around baseball as “The Todd father.”
“Trust me, the young guys are watching,” former Pirates player Sean Casey said. The Upper St. Clair native is now a commentator for MLB Network and knows Frazier well dating to their time together in Cincinnati.
“I came up and watched Barry Larkin,” Casey continued. “I watched Greg Vaughan and Pete Harnisch. These guys were great dudes. They treated me with respect, and it taught me how to treat guys when they came up, because that’s how I was treated. I’ve also seen it go the other way. I’ve seen young guys come in, they’re good guys, they latch on to guys who are not so good, and that’s who they emulate the rest of their career.
“You get a Ke’Bryan Hayes up here, you’re like, ‘Hey, who’s going to help this guy out?’ Oh, you brought Todd Frazier in? So smart.”
‘‘ “You get a Ke’Bryan Hayes up here, you’re like, ‘Hey, who’s going to help this guy out?’ Oh, you brought Todd Frazier in? So smart.”
— Sean Casey, on the Pirates signing Todd Frazier
Raised the right way
Frazier was born and raised in Toms River, N.J., a sports-obsessed, hard-working town on the eastern side of the state, about an hour south of Newark.
As a 12-year-old, Frazier starred on the Toms River East American squad that won the Little League World Series. He later helped Toms River South win two state titles in high school before enjoying a storied career at nearby Rutgers.
“Todd’s a legend in Toms River,” said Ken Frank, Frazier’s high school coach.
Frazier’s mother, Joan, was an All-American swimmer at the College of New Jersey and became a high school attendance officer after working for a nearby law firm. Todd’s father, Charlie, played basketball at Morehead State and was the vice principal at Toms River South.
Beyond anything athletic, Frazier credits his parents for helping him become the person he is today.
“They raised me the right way,” he said.
The youngest of three boys, Todd was always outside with brothers Jeff and Charlie competing in something, and routinely playing agains tolder kids accelerated Todd’s athletic career.
“I was always playing basketball in the streets with kids four or five years older than me,” Todd said. “As I got older, I was the first one picked out of all of them
because whatever sport I was playing, I wanted to be the best at it.”
Although he was a 1,000point scorer in basketball, Frazier was best known for his work on the baseball diamond.
There’s one home run that Frank can still see sailing, a tape-measure job that Frazier crushed over the football field. Frank remembers another time at Mercer County Waterfront Park, thome of the Trenton Thunder, where Frank worried whether Toms River might be in over its head.
“The guy was throwing 90 mph, and Todd couldn’t get around on the first two pitches,” Frank recalled. “I said to my assistant coach, ‘We might be in trouble here if Todd’s not getting around on this.’ Next pitch, he hits it outof the stadium.”
To this day, Frazier stays in touch with Frank and plays a big part in the program’s yearly reunion. While with the Mets, Frazier insisted on Frank visiting him inthe clubhouse.
Aside from Frazier’s welcoming nature, the thing that stands out the most to Frank was how a player he considers“like a son” always rose to the occasion.
“If I told him someone was coming in batting practice, he would smash the ball,” Frank said. “That’s what sets him apart from everyone else
“Even now in spring training, he’s got to make the team, and he’s got [three] homers. He has all the intangibles that make you a winner. He’s always been a winner. We’ve always looked up to Todd in Toms River.”
‘Caught the rebound’
Todd and Jackie met at Rutgers, where the latter was a successful gymnast. They took the same public speaking course for athletes, and it’s possible Todd’s grades suffered because of it.
“I was following her around in class a little bit,” Todd said with a laugh.
A random occurrence sealed the deal. Todd said Jackie actually went to another university to visit her boyfriend one particular weekend, and she randomly met one of Todd’s friends, who insisted on calling Todd. Jackie was nice but guarded. When Todd approached in class to see how the weekend went, he found out Jackie and her boyfriend had separated.
“I kind of swooped in there after that,” Todd said. “Just like in basketball, I caught the rebound. Thank God it happened, too, because I don’t know where I’d be today without her.”
He potentially could be out of Major League Baseball, as family has been a gigantic part of Frazier’s success. While baseball life is definitely not easy, Frazier has a terrific support system that starts with Jackie and extends to their three kids — Blake, 6; Kylie, 5; and Grant, 2.
No matter where Todd has played, the Fraziers have made it a family affair, traveling to spring training and cobbling together long weekends to visit dad during the season, that practice getting tougher now because of school and youth sports.
“My wife is really good at what she does,” Todd said. “I’m very lucky to have a wife like this. She’s the backbone of the whole family. And she works her butt off to make sure all our kids are going in the right direction and are on top of everything.”
Todd, meanwhile, handles the physical education side of things, coaching as much as he can and pitching to his kids inside their new indoor batting cage/training facility, a bucket-list acquisition for Frazier that he calls “my little playground.”
Home life mostly revolves around the kids and their various activities, although Todd and Jackie love discovering new shows. They finished “The Affair” the day
before he signed with the Pirates. They’ve also become big “Orange Is The New Black” fans.
Food-wise, there’s an obvious Jersey tie-in for Frazier.
“Two things I’ll argue someone to the death about,” Frazier said. “Pizza and anything that deals with New Jersey.”
Specialty pies are Frazier’s favorite — typically cheesesteak or buffalo chicken. He has two go-to spots around home: PopPop’s, in Jackson Township, which Jackie’s father actually owns; and The Sawmill on the Seaside Park Boardwalk, a place famous for its oversized slices.
Before Pop-Pop’s opened, Frazier actually was able to design his own pie — one that may have unintentionally shown his readiness for Pittsburgh, too, as it lumps French fries and American cheese on a cheesesteak pizza.
“‘Fraz’ is so Jersey,” Casey said. “He’s always like, ‘Yo, yo, yo.’ The way he talks, it’s like an episode of ‘Jersey Shore.’ The guy’s a beauty. I almost feel like he’ll get Pittsburgh because he’s got a little bit of that in him from Jersey.”
‘What a great dude’
Casey can’t pinpoint the exact year, but he does remember being struck by Frazier’s demeanor after he enjoyed a short stint coaching for his former team.
While chatting in the Reds dugout when Frazier was one of Cincinnati’s next big prospects, the Upper St. Clairnative said he felt an instant connection.
“I remember thinking, ‘What a great dude.’” Casey said. “He was picking my brain on hitting. We were talking about a lot of stuff. That was really cool. Over the years, we’ve maintained are ally good friendship.”
Frazier and Casey never played together, but it seems like they did given their similarities. They were outspoken, well-liked faces of the Reds franchise. They’re also sort of built the same and wore No. 21.
“People would say, ‘Oh, that’s Sean Casey’s brother.’ ” Casey said, laughing. “I guess we always had that same personality, where hopefully we’d treat guys right.
“I’ve always had so much respect for Frazier. His energy is so great. He’s the kind of guy you seek out. And if you don’t seek him out, he’ll seek you out.”
When Frazier was a young player breaking into the big leagues, he credited guys like Scott Rolen, Jonny Gomes and Ryan Ludwick for setting a good example. Ludwick, a former Pirates player, made an especially good impression on Frazier.
The Reds signed Ludwick in February 2012, and he immediately took the 26-yearold Frazier — who made his MLB debut a season earlier —under his wing.
Ludwick bought Frazier his first suit. They shared dinners on the road. Ludwick began asking Frazier about his thought process while doing certain things, always making sure to give the young player a chance to explain himself first.
“That’s something that my dad always used to do, in baseball and life,” Frazier said. “He would always ask about my thought process first. ‘What made you bunt in that situation? Or what led you to swing at that pitch?’
“Now when I get in those situations, I remember what I did. I also remember what I did wrong.”
Casey drew a different parallel involving Frazier, one involving a division rival but eventually applicable to the Pirates.
The Cubs have two wellregarded stars in Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, players who are likable, genuine and viewed as generally good people.
Obviously they deserve the bulk of the credit for that, but Casey also believes it had something to do with the examples they had to follow in older players such as David Rossand John Lackey.
It’s not terribly dissimilar with Ke’Bryan Hayes and the rest of the Pirates, Casey argued.
“If you’re a young kid, you want to learn from veterans,” Casey said. “What better veteran to learn from than Todd Frazier?”