Slugger Todd Frazier has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.
"It's been my love my whole life," Frazier told Greg Joyce of the New York Post on Monday. "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."
On Tuesday, Frazier also posted this video to his Twitter account:
Frazier, a New Jersey native and Rutgers product, was originally drafted by the Reds in 2007 with the 34th overall pick. In five seasons with Cincinnati, Frazier made two All-Star appearances and in 2015, won the Home Run Derby at Great American Ball Park. In all, Frazier spent parts of 11 seasons in the majors, including two and a half with the Mets. Over that span, Frazier batted .241/.318/.445 (107 OPS+) with 218 home runs in 1,244 games, including a career-high 40 with the White Sox in 2016.
Frazier also topped 1,000 hits, put up a career WAR of 25.2, and spent more than 9,000 defensive innings at third base. He made postseason appearances with the Reds in 2012 and 2013 and the Yankees in 2017. His lone playoff home run came in the 2017 ALCS against the Astros. Frazier also played with the U.S. Olympic team that won a silver medal in Tokyo in 2019.
In addition to his power, Frazier will also be remembered as one of the more popular and likable players of his era.