Fan favorite, former Derby champ Todd Frazier retires

Todd Frazier, one of baseball’s most captivating personalities of the last few years, announced his retirement Tuesday. Consistently brimming with enthusiasm, Frazier quickly emerged as a fan favorite in Cincinnati and in other stops along the way.

Frazier, 36, is perhaps best remembered for winning the 2015 Home Run Derby at Great American Ball Park as a member of the hosting Reds. He would also log second-place finishes at the Derby in both ‘14 and '16.

Selected by Cincinnati with the 34th overall pick in the 2007 MLB Draft out of Rutgers, Frazier boasted both a unique batting stance and swing, which he honed en route to becoming a two-time All-Star with the Reds in ‘14 and ‘15. He remains the most recent member of the club to record a 20-homer, 20-stolen base campaign (‘14).

While his most consistent offensive success as a regular came with the Reds, Frazier slugged a career-best 40 home runs in 2016 as a member of the White Sox. From there, he returned to his New York/New Jersey roots and spent parts of the 2017-20 seasons as a member of the Yankees and Mets.

Growing up in Toms River, N.J., Frazier was a youth baseball star who ascended to the 1998 Little League World Series, and eventually won, which led to an iconic moment in which he stood on the field alongside Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

Most recently, Frazier enjoyed a 13-game stint with the Pirates last year, before joining the U.S. national baseball team's roster at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which ended with him receiving a Silver medal.

Over his 11-year Major League career, Frazier slashed .241/.318/.445 with 218 home runs and 640 RBIs, good for a 107 OPS+.