Todd Frazier is More than a Little League Hero
Sep 3, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Cincinnati Reds first baseman Todd Frazier (21) in the on-deck circle in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
The most repeated fact about Todd Frazier is that he led his Little League team in Toms River, New Jersey to Williamsport immortality. However, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds had such a remarkable season in 2014 that he should be known for his professional accomplishments and not just his Little League stardom.
Todd Frazier tied for tenth among MLB hitters with 29 home runs. He also was one of five hitters to be a 20-20 club member in 2014. Out of the five players, Frazier posted the highest HR total. His terrific power-speed was not the only fantasy contributions that Todd Frazier made. His 88 runs and 80 RBI’s paired nicely with Frazier’s 20 stolen bases. An okay .273 batting average rounded out Todd Frazier’s basic fantasy as an elite option this season.
Frazier’s elite counting stat abilities made him one of the top value draft picks of 2014. Todd Frazier owners were the beneficiaries of a player who had a career high in all five standard fantasy baseball categories (Frazier tied his career best batting average of .273). This type of across the board leap in stats is quite rare, especially for a player who is already 28 years old.
In fact, his stolen bases almost came out of the nowhere. Frazier’s previous career high in swipes was last year where Todd Frazier recorded a mere six steals. You would have to go to back to Todd Frazier’s minor league days where he stole 17 bases back in AAA in 2011. Maybe Todd Frazier was spending extra time with Billy Hamilton to learn the art of the steal.
While Todd Frazier put up fairly remarkable numbers in 2014, it would be unwise to expect the same type of the numbers next season. His 17% HR/FB rate was 2.5% above his career norm, but Frazier has legit 20 HR power. Plus, I have no idea if he will maintain his new stolen base tendency in 2015. On the other hand, I feel fairly comfortable penciling in Todd Frazier for a .250 average, 70 runs, 20 homers, 70 RBI’s, and 10 steals if he stays healthy as his floor.
Those numbers are likely good enough to be a top ten third base option in 2015. Plus, I feel like those above numbers are moderately conservative. In fact, Frazier should eclipse that RBI prediction if the Reds get healthy and everyone starts hitting again in 2015.
Along with Devin Mesoraco, Todd Frazier was one of the two focal offensive pieces for the Cincinnati Reds in 2014. Even though some key contributors of the Reds’ offense sputtered in 2014, Frazier made up for the lack of production from Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. If all of their best hitters can get healthy, then Cincinnati could be a dangerous ballclub with a significant amount of fantasy value.
A fantastic 2014 campaign helped Todd Frazier shed the name as the Major Leaguer who led his Little League team to glory and into a proven MLB third bagger who can hold his own at the hot corner. Plus, if Todd Frazier ends up repeating his 2014 season, then you will end up with a terrific value for Frazier on draft day yet again.