Rangers fans are getting to know what Reds, White Sox, Yankees, and Mets fan may already know: the “ToddFather” experience. Texas signed veteran infielder Todd Frazier back in January. You can tell how a player comes across to the fan base based on the comment reaction on the player’s social media page (Hunter Pence, for example). Many Mets fans wrote lovely and heartfelt farewells, which was an indication of the positive influence Todd would have in the Rangers clubhouse, and there has been no disappointment.
The Rangers are Frazier’s fifth Major League team in his ten-year career. He was a teammate of Shin-Soo Choo in 2013 with the Cincinnati Reds, and the two reunited in 2020. Frazier reached the 1,200 game mark for his major league career on August 10th against the Mariners and continued as one of the clubhouse leaders despite signing only seven months ago.
5 games into the season and @FlavaFraz21 has already locked up best sign off to a post game interview for 2020… pic.twitter.com/3p7D8QcTmP
— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) July 30, 2020
The consensus across the clubhouse is Todd Frazier lightens up the mood. He brings positive energy to his teammates but also is a teacher of the game too. “Todd is awesome,” Joey Gallo told me. “He’s one of the funniest teammates that I have ever had. He brings that Northeastern type of vibe to the clubhouse, and I love that, my family is from New York, and he’s from New Jersey.” Joey added that Frazier carries himself as a veteran that cares about his teammates succeeding in the challenging sport of baseball, a quality that doesn’t always reflect among veterans.
On August 14th in Colorado, Gallo went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. Both Frazier and Gallo recall after the game where they walked back to the hotel instead of taking the bus ride back (it’s about a 15-minute walk). “We had a really good conversation, and I just tried to tell him no matter what happens to have as much fun as possible,” Todd told the media the following day. “He’s a guy where he wants to do so well so badly, and it kind of reminds [me of] myself when I was young, too. He’s got the support from me and all our teammates as well.” Joey added what a veteran presence means for him as a younger player, “[Veterans] been into situations before; they’ve dealt with a lot of things that in a game that a lot of the young guys, I still consider myself young, haven’t dealt with yet.”
Hhahah this made my day thanks @HipHipJose5
— Todd Frazier (@FlavaFraz21) August 20, 2020
At the start of the regular season, Frazier moved to first base to make way for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, without hesitation. Isiah tore up Spring Training 1.0 and 2.0. He made it impossible for the Rangers to ignore. Isiah compared playing with Frazier and playing with a well-known Rangers third baseman, Adrian Beltre. “[Playing with Todd] shows you that there are two sides to it. Playing with [Adrian Beltre], AB was very serious, but he was a Hall of Famer, one of the best hitters to play,” Kiner-Falefa told me on Friday. “It takes [the] pressure off everybody, keeps everybody loose, especially when it’s coming from a vet like that. It really loosens everything up.”
Are you going to teach @MikeTrout these Jersey dad moves, @FlavaFraz21? 😂👏🏼
📹: IG/@11WillieCalhoun https://t.co/9JpU6Yee6Q pic.twitter.com/CLKhyZFVgm
— FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) August 7, 2020
The Rangers are in turmoil right now. The club dropped their seventh straight on Saturday and held a team meeting after the game. Fans may think a loose behavior and clubhouse isn’t warranted with the club struggling. However, a veteran presence like Frazier is precisely what the team needs. In Todd’s nine previous seasons, he had been a part of five losing seasons despite making the All-Star team in 2014 and 2015 with the Reds.
The club signed Frazier to a one-year deal with a club option for 2021, and with the trade deadline eight days away, it’s curious if Todd remains a Ranger in September. Though whatever happens in the next eight days and even eight months, Todd Frazier has made a positive impact on the clubhouse and the franchise. He’s a kid at heart that loves to play the game every single day, plus he’s initiating the pizza or pie debate all over again (for the record, it’s called Pizza, sorry Todd).
Please delete your account and Solak’s as well. That’s all hahahha
— Todd Frazier (@FlavaFraz21) August 13, 2020
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