Before the rebuild started at the end of 2016, the Chicago White Sox was a top-heavy group that kept falling short of making it to the playoffs. One of the big bats in the lineup for a year and a half was Todd Frazier. The jersey kid had his flaws as a player but he hit for big power.
Frazier started his MLB career with the Cincinnati Reds where he was an All-Star twice. The White Sox landed him from the Reds in a three-team trade that also included the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played with the White Sox for a season and a half and was a solid player.
In 2016, he was a 40 home run hitter for the White Sox. He didn’t have an All-Star caliber season in terms of the rest of his numbers but having 40 home runs and 98 RBIs was pretty good. It was clear, however, that the White Sox needed to trade him in 2017 as the rebuild continued.
They traded him to the New York Yankees for some prospects that never really panned out. It was one of the only assets that the White Sox traded away in the rebuild that isn’t really contributing to their current success which happens sometimes.
He finished that 2017 season with the Yankees before jumping to the other side of town with the New York Mets a year later. He then had a cup of coffee with Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates after that.
Classy All-Star infielder Todd Frazier will officially announce his retirement today, per @GJoyce9, saying "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.''
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 5, 2022
Todd Frazier had some really fun moments with the Chicago White Sox.
Now, Frazier has announced his retirement from the game of baseball. It was a really nice career for him as he has two All-Star appearances and a home run derby championship. He was a fantastic player for a long time and deserves praise in retirement.
Getting to have him on a very unlikable White Sox team (2016) was nice. He seemed to enjoy playing the game and playing for this team. Hopefully, he is able to retire feeling fulfilled with his MLB career. It was fun to watch him when we had the chance. It would have been nice for the White Sox to have been a better team while he was there but it is what it is.