Local hero Todd Frazier has announced his retirement.
The two-time All-Star and notable Toms River native (and Rutgers product) who enjoyed stints with the Yankees and Mets is calling it a career at 36 years old, ending a baseball run that began with a Little League World Series title in 1998, continued by helping the memorable 2017 Yankees squad to the ALCS, and concluded with a silver medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics.
“It’s been my love my whole life,” Frazier told the New York Post. “It’s very hard to let go. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made in my life. But where I’m at in my career and where I’m at in my life, I think it was the right decision. I think it’s time to be that family figure that I’ve always wanted to be.”
Frazer’s 11-year MLB career is highlighted by back-to-back All-Star selections with the Reds in 2014 and 2015 (the latter including a home run derby win in Cincinnati), and was traded to the Yanks prior to the 2017 deadline. He logged eight hits in 39 at-bats during the 2017 postseason run, including a big three-run home run in game three of the ALCS, helping the Yanks erase an 0-2 series hole to win three in a row in the Bronx.
He signed on with the Mets after that season, and posted a .729 OPS in 262 career games in Queens.
For his career, Frazier finishes with a .241 batting average, a .763 OPS and 218 home runs in 1,244 games.
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