Willie Fraser
Pitcher
Born: (1964-05-26) May 26, 1964
New York City, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Professional debut
MLB: September 10, 1986, for the California Angels
NPB: April 28, 1996, for the Orix BlueWave
Last appearance
MLB: September 29, 1995, for the Montreal Expos
NPB: September 24, 1998, for the Orix BlueWave
MLB statistics
Win–loss record38–40
Earned run average4.47
Strikeouts328
NPB statistics
Win–loss record25–16
Earned run average4.10
Strikeouts152
Teams
Career highlights and awards

William Patrick Fraser (born May 26, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1986 and 1995. Fraser played for the California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins, and Montreal Expos. Following his major league career, he played for three seasons with the Orix BlueWave in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).

Career

Fraser grew up a New York Yankees fan in Newburgh, New York,[1] and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1982.[2] He played college baseball in NCAA Division II at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York, where he developed a forkball which drew comparisons to future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter's.[3] The California Angels selected him with the fifteenth pick in the 1985 MLB draft, ahead of future Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.[4] He was assigned to the Quad Cities Angels of the Midwest League to begin his professional career.[3]

Fraser made his Major League debut in a start with the Angels on September 10, 1986, at Cleveland Stadium against the Indians.[5][6] It was his only Major League appearance that year.[5] He spent most of the next two seasons in the starting rotation then was moved to the bullpen after the Angels traded for future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven following the 1988 season. He had led the league in home runs allowed in 1988.[7]

After two years in California's bullpen, Fraser was traded to Toronto with Marcus Moore and Devon White in exchange for Junior Félix, Luis Sojo and a player to be named later. Fraser pitched in thirteen games for the Blue Jays before being placed on waivers and picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals where he finished the 1991 season.[5] He spent all of 1992 and 1993 in Triple-A with the Edmonton Trappers and Toledo Mud Hens respectively.[8] He returned to the majors in each of the following years with nine appearances for the Florida Marlins in 1994 and twenty-two with the Montreal Expos in 1995.[5]

In 1996, Fraser began a three-year stint in Nippon Professional Baseball as a key addition to the Orix BlueWave.[9] He won the second-most games for the club en route to a 1996 Japan Series victory led by Troy Neel and Ichiro Suzuki.[10][11] He played in his last professional game on September 24, 1998, in Japan for Orix.

After retirement, Fraser worked for an independent company scouting players in Japan and the United States. He then became an advance scout for the Angels and, in 2014, began working as an advance scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.[2] In 2018, he was working as a scout for the Miami Marlins and conducting baseball clinics for children in places such as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Ireland and Honduras.[12] As of 2019, he was a scout for the Chicago Cubs.[1] The Cubs parted ways with Fraser following the 2021 season.[13]

Personal life

As of 2015, Fraser lived in Hopewell Junction, New York.[2] He and his wife, Jeannie, have two adult sons.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Laible, Don (June 29, 2019). "Willie Fraser's MLB Scouting Life". Utica Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Montgomery, William (March 1, 2015). "Life after pro baseball". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 Rogers, Thomas (17 June 1985). "Sports World Specials; Special Pitch". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "1985 Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft, with a listed position of P". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Willie Fraser Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "California Angels at Cleveland Indians Box Score, September 10, 1986". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  7. ↑ Mohart, Doug (May 25, 1989). "Fraser accepts his bullpen role on Angels". The Evening News. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Willie Fraser Minor & Japanese Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Stewart, Mark (2002). Ichiro Suzuki: Best in the West. Lerner Publications. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-7613-2616-8. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Graczyk, Wayne (9 April 2000). "BayStars' Rose picks right up where he left off with hot bat". The Japan Times. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "1996 Orix Blue Wave Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Sparks, Leonard (January 27, 2018). "Baseball pros share love of game with kids". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  13. ↑ Gonzales, Mark [@MDGonzales] (October 3, 2021). "Unfortunately, the Turk arrives this time of year. Multiple sources confirm Cubs parting ways with veteran advance scout Willie Fraser, at least one other departure in pro scouting likely" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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