Travis Fryman
Encyclopedia
David Travis Fryman is a former Major League Baseball
third baseman
and shortstop
, and currently a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians
farm system
. He also managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers
from 2008 to 2010.
drafted Fryman in the first round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft
out of Tate High School in Pensacola, Florida
. He debuted with the Tigers at Tiger Stadium on July 7, in a 4-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals
at short, but ended up seeing more time at third over the course of his first season in the majors.
He split time between short and third in before an injury to Alan Trammell
allowed him to inherit the starting shortstop job in . He clubbed twenty home run
s and drove in 96 to earn his first All-Star selection
, and win the American League
Silver Slugger Award at his position.
Fryman started the at short, but earned the third base job by the end of the season. He remained at third for Detroit until joining the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks
via a trade following the season for Matt Drews
. Two weeks after joining the Diamondbacks, he was traded again, along with pitcher
, Tom Martin, to the Indians for third baseman Matt Williams.
division crown. Fryman batted only .167 with no runs batted in and committed one error
in the field in his first post-season as the Indians were ousted in the 1998 American League Championship Series
by the New York Yankees
.
Injuries hampered Fryman in , however, he rebounded to have his best season in . He established career highs in batting average
(.321), slugging percentage (.516), on base percentage
(.392), hits
(184), doubles
, and RBIs (106). Additionally, he also only made eight errors in the field and had a 60-game errorless streak, on his way to winning a Gold Glove Award
. His teammates rewarded his efforts with the Gordon Cobbledick Golden Tomahawk Award, and the Cleveland Baseball Writers' Association named him their Man of the Year.
Injuries once again limited Fryman in , as he didn't even make his first major league appearance until June 2. In , he had the lowest range factor
of all major league third basemen (2.31), as well as the lowest zone rating (.680).
In a 13-season career, Fryman posted a .274 batting average
with 223 home run
s and 1022 RBI in 1698 games. Fryman retired after the 2002 season due to injury.
, the short-season A affiliate of the Indians in the New York-Penn League, in . It was his managerial debut after having worked as an infield instructor with the Indians during spring training
that year. Fryman has been mentioned as a possible manager for the Cleveland Indians
. David Wallace
became the team's manager in 2011.
Currently Travis is a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians farm system, travelling to all of the Indians' AAA, AA, and A Minor League teams.
Fryman has three children, Mason, Branden, and Cole.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, and currently a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
farm system
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. He also managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a minor league baseball club based in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River. The Scrappers play in the Pinckney Division of the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League and are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians Major League...
from 2008 to 2010.
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit TigersDetroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
drafted Fryman in the first round of the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft
1987 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1987 Major League Baseball draft.-Supplemental First Round Selections:-External links:*...
out of Tate High School in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
. He debuted with the Tigers at Tiger Stadium on July 7, in a 4-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
at short, but ended up seeing more time at third over the course of his first season in the majors.
He split time between short and third in before an injury to Alan Trammell
Alan Trammell
Alan Stuart Trammell is a retired American baseball shortstop of the Detroit Tigers from to . Trammell, nicknamed "Tram", played his entire career with the Tigers, highlighted by a World Series championship in and an American League East division championship in . Although his arm was not...
allowed him to inherit the starting shortstop job in . He clubbed twenty home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and drove in 96 to earn his first All-Star selection
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, and win the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Silver Slugger Award at his position.
Fryman started the at short, but earned the third base job by the end of the season. He remained at third for Detroit until joining the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
via a trade following the season for Matt Drews
Matt Drews
Matthew Ross Drews is a former a minor league baseball pitcher.-Career:Drews played high school baseball at Sarasota High School, where he had a 10-2 win-loss record with a 1.27 earned run average his senior high year, with 125 strikeouts in 88 innings pitched...
. Two weeks after joining the Diamondbacks, he was traded again, along with pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, Tom Martin, to the Indians for third baseman Matt Williams.
Cleveland Indians
Fryman batted .287 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs his first season in Cleveland to help lead his team to the American League CentralAmerican League Central
The American League Central Division is one of six divisions in Major League Baseball. This division was formed in the realignment in 1994, and its teams are all located in the Midwestern United States...
division crown. Fryman batted only .167 with no runs batted in and committed one error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
in the field in his first post-season as the Indians were ousted in the 1998 American League Championship Series
1998 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 6, 1998 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkCleveland came in as heavy underdogs, but also were the defending American League Champions. In Game 1, the Yankees got off to a good start, by hitting four straight singles in the bottom of the first to score two runs...
by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
Injuries hampered Fryman in , however, he rebounded to have his best season in . He established career highs in batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(.321), slugging percentage (.516), on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
(.392), hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
(184), doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, and RBIs (106). Additionally, he also only made eight errors in the field and had a 60-game errorless streak, on his way to winning a Gold Glove Award
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
. His teammates rewarded his efforts with the Gordon Cobbledick Golden Tomahawk Award, and the Cleveland Baseball Writers' Association named him their Man of the Year.
Injuries once again limited Fryman in , as he didn't even make his first major league appearance until June 2. In , he had the lowest range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of all major league third basemen (2.31), as well as the lowest zone rating (.680).
In a 13-season career, Fryman posted a .274 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 223 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s and 1022 RBI in 1698 games. Fryman retired after the 2002 season due to injury.
Coaching career
Fryman became the manager of the Mahoning Valley ScrappersMahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a minor league baseball club based in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River. The Scrappers play in the Pinckney Division of the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League and are affiliated with the Cleveland Indians Major League...
, the short-season A affiliate of the Indians in the New York-Penn League, in . It was his managerial debut after having worked as an infield instructor with the Indians during spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
that year. Fryman has been mentioned as a possible manager for the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. David Wallace
David Wallace
David Wallace or Dave Wallace may refer to:*David A. Wallace , urban planner and architect*David Euan Wallace , British Conservative member of parliament*David Foster Wallace , American novelist...
became the team's manager in 2011.
Currently Travis is a hitting instructor for the Cleveland Indians farm system, travelling to all of the Indians' AAA, AA, and A Minor League teams.
Fryman has three children, Mason, Branden, and Cole.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- Hitting for the cycleHitting for the cycleIn baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter hitting a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are uncommon in Major League Baseball , occurring 293 times since the first by Curry...