Todd Frazier

He is one of 3 Rutgers players picked in the 1st round of the MLB Draft since 1966.

Frazier joined Bud White (1966) and Bobby Brownlie (2002) when he was selected with the 34th overall pick in the first round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft.

Todd Brian Frazier (born February 12, 1986), nicknamed "The Toddfather", is an American former professional baseball third baseman.

Beginning the game at shortstop, not only did he go 4–4 with a leadoff home run, but he was also the winning pitcher and recorded the game-winning strikeout that sealed a 12–9 Toms River win and the world championship – the first American Little League world championship since 1993.

Frazier was a member of the 1996 Junior Pee-Wee National Champions in football.

At the age of 12 and measuring 5 feet 2 inches and 104 lbs, Frazier was a star on the Toms River East American Little League All-Star team that won the New Jersey state championship and then the US East regional championship, to advance to the 1998 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Dubbed the "Beasts of the East" for their skill, power and lucky-charm, stuffed gorilla, the team went undefeated in the tournament, and Frazier saved his best performance for the world championship game against the Far East and International-champion Kashima Little League from Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan, on August 29 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

To celebrate their world championship, the Toms River team was invited by the New York Yankees to Yankee Stadium on September 1, 1998, as the Yankees faced the Oakland Athletics, and each Toms River player was introduced publicly to the crowd and invited to stand next to his Yankee position counterpart during the national anthem, which meant that Frazier, as shortstop, was standing next to New Jersey–born Derek Jeter.

Frazier attended Toms River High School South and played for the school's baseball team.

The Colorado Rockies selected Frazier in the 37th round of the 2004 draft, but he did not sign.

Frazier attended Rutgers University and played college baseball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

In 2005 and 2006, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

In 2007, he started all 63 games for Rutgers, posting a .377 batting average, a .502 on-base percentage, and a .757 slugging percentage.

He won Big East player of the year in 2007 and was named a Rivals.com All-American.

Frazier finished in the top six all-time in every major single-season offensive category at Rutgers except triples.

He set records for home runs, runs scored (87), walks (62), doubles (24) and total bases (187).

He also finished second in slugging percentage (.757), second in at-bats (247), tied for third in RBI (65), fifth in hits (93) and tied for sixth in stolen bases (25).

The Cincinnati Reds selected Frazier with the 34th overall selection of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

On July 11, 2007, Frazier made his professional debut as a designated hitter for the Billings Mustangs—the Reds' Rookie-Advanced farm team in the Pioneer League—going 2-for-4 with two singles, an RBI and a run scored.

Frazier finished the 2007 season with the Dayton Dragons.

Frazier played multiple positions for the Louisville Bats, the Reds' AAA team in the International League.

He also spent the 2010 preseason as a non-roster invitee to the Reds' training camp.

After the 2010 season, he was added to the Reds' 40-man roster.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011 to 2021.

On May 23, 2011, Frazier and Matt Maloney were called up to the majors, with Edinson Vólquez and Jordan Smith optioned to Louisville.

Frazier struck out in his first major league plate appearance facing Michael Stutes while pinch-hitting for Maloney.

On May 24, 2011, Frazier was optioned back to Louisville to add an extra relief pitcher, Carlos Fisher.

On July 31, 2011, Frazier hit his first career home run, a solo shot off of Barry Zito's 1–1 hanging curveball.

On May 16, 2012, Frazier hit two home runs against the New York Mets.

On May 23, 2012, he hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth against the Atlanta Braves.

On May 27, 2012, Frazier homered off of the Colorado Rockies' Jamie Moyer in a 7–5 Reds' win.

The home run was unusual because Frazier's bat slipped out of his hands as he was swinging.

The same day, he had saved the life of a man choking on a piece of steak by administering the Heimlich maneuver.

Of the latter experience, he said, "I gave two pumps and it came out . . . It was pretty surreal. I have never done that before."

On November 5, 2012, Frazier was named the Players Choice Awards National League Outstanding Rookie by the MLB Players Association.

Since then, Rutgers only has had two players picked in the top 10 rounds, including fourth-rounder Patrick Kivlehan (2013), who played with the Cincinnati Reds in 2017.

On April 18, 2013, Frazier hit a homer for Reds' honorary batboy Teddy Kremer, an adult with Down syndrome.

Frazier was an MLB All-Star in 2014 and 2015.

Todd Frazier was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, as the youngest of three boys and of partial Scottish ancestry from his father's side.

He grew up in Toms River, New Jersey, a fact that has been mentioned so frequently by the baseball media that it has become a meme in some online baseball communities.