The Reds left for Cincinnati with Frazier last March but the day before the season opened he was sent to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds' bullpen had lost some pitchers to injuries. The Reds used the last roster spot by claiming righthanded reliever Alfredo Simon from the Baltimore Orioles. Frazier was the odd man out.
The 27-year old from Todd Frazier led the team with five home runs and 15 RBI last spring but was going to back up Scott Rolen, the encumbent at thirdbase.
When Simon became available the Reds elected to send Frazier out to play every day and use veteran Miguel Cairo as the infield back-up.
Cairo went on the disabled list on April 17, and Frazier was summoned. He spent the rest of the season in Cincinnati, filling in for Rolen at third and Joey Votto at firstbase.
"Frazier is in a totally different situation than he was last year at this time," Dusty Baker said.
"We hoped that he would be in this situation. He's paid his dues. He's earned his way which is what you like a young man to do." Frazier took the opportunities provided by injuries to the established players. He was third in the Rookie of the Year voting and named to Baseball America's All-Rookie team. Frazier's .273 batting average was 10th among rookies, his 19 home runs were third and his 67 RBI was second among rookies in baseball.
"In the world of give-aways, we give them a lot, but he's earned it." Baker said.
Baker wanted Frazier to spend the winter getting a quicker first step to help him field hot ground balls at thirdbase. Frazier played shortstop at Rutgers University and has played secondbase and leftfield. Frazier made one appearance at firstbase in 2011 but started 36 games at firstbase when Votto missed 48 games with a knee injury.
Rolen is not currently in baseball and Cairo has retired to take a front office job with the Reds, leaving Frazier as the main candidate to replace Rolen, who had eight Gold Gloves in the major leagues.
Frazier has big shoes to fill.
"I told him to go home and work on his lateral range and first step and he did it," Baker said. "I suggested that he go home and take ballet. I don't know if he went that far but I can see improvement."
Frazier, who was married during the winter, worked with Ed Hefernan, a high school track and field coach in Tom's River, New Jersey. "I worked on my footwork. I worked on reacting to the ball going left and right," Frazier said. "Hefernan trained Oympic athletes. Taking a quick first step is the biggest part to winning a race. We worked moving laterally with that first step."
The pair worked an hour and a half every other day and Frazier believes it has paid off. "It took me a couple weeks but we finally figured out the right drills, to change from the la-di-da move to boom," Frazier said. "I'd hop over these little links, left, right, left, right, then I'd run after a ball, he rolled. He timed it and once we got a time he liked we'd do it over and over. We worked side to side and do a box jump with quickness. He would tie a string to my feet and we'd work on getting my legs up as well." It was a lot of hard work. "I complained to him a couple times. I told him 'you're making all this stuff up.' He is old school and would tell me to quit my whining. He put the pressure on me which I needed."
At thirdbase there is less time to react than at the other positions Frazier plays.
"Ed is well known in the Northeast. He tried to eliminate the time I was on the ground before I took my first step," Frazier said. "I've always had quick feet; now I feel much stronger and quicker. It helps with base running, everything."
As quick as he's become in the field, Baker wants him to slow down his swing at the plate to improve offensively. "He's got to slow down at the plate," Baker said. "At the plate slow down and in the field speed up."
Frazier was hitting .298 on August 24 but the league started to figure him out. He hit just .186 with one home run over the last 28 games.
The Reds are counting on Frazier as a leader too. Rolen was a leader in the clubhouse and Frazier will miss his leadership. "It's going to be tough for me. Scott was a good guy to talk to every day about thirdbase," Frazier said. "I would like for him to be here to get more knowledge of him for sure."
Teammate Sean Marshall believes Frazier could fill that void too.
"Todd Frazier is a guy who leads with his voice and how he plays. He has big shoes to fill," Marshall said.
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| Professionally edited by ML Schirmer for proof reading services call 513-240-3120 |
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