Frazier and Co. feted at Redsfest
Todd Frazier's trophy case is filling up fast in 2015.
After bringing a Home Run Derby title to Cincinnati in July, Frazier took the podium Friday night at Redsfest to accept the club's annual Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.
The Home Run Derby hardware was nice, but his latest honor means a little something more to the Reds' third baseman.
"It's humbling, to be honest with you. Those kind of awards, you're really excited to get," Frazier said. "It touches you."
Frazier never got to know Joe Nuxhall, the award's namesake, having joined the team four seasons after Nuxhall's death in November 2007. But, having visited the Miracle League Fields (also named for Nuxhall) in Fairfield, Ohio, Frazier understands well the legacy of the late Reds lefty and broadcaster. He called Nuxhall's son, Kim, who chairs the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Fields board, "an upstanding gentleman" and noted the "tireless hours" the Nuxhall family put into their patriarch's legacy.
"There's nothing better than that," Frazier said.
Joining Frazier onstage were Joey Votto, who garnered club MVP honors, and Minor League award-winners Tyler Mahle, Jesse Winker, Amir Garrett and Avain Rachal. Aroldis Chapman, though not present at Redsfest, was awarded Pitcher of the Year honors.
The local chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America gave Mahle the nod for Minor League Player of the Year. Winker and Garrett were voted Hitter of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, and Rachal earned the Affiliate Outreach Award, in recognition of his community service.
Rachal, 21, wrapped up his second season with Class A Dayton with a .276 second-half batting average, finishing third among the Dragons in hits and walks and fourth in RBIs and total bases.
The 23-year-old Garrett, who spent the season with Class A Advanced Daytona Tortugas, went 9-7 on the way to a 2.44 ERA (team-best among starters) and 133 strikeouts on the season. Garrett also picked up the win in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Great American Ball Park.
Winker turned in a strong performance in his first year with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, leading the team with a .282 batting average, 13 homers and 55 RBIs, 125 hits, 24 doubles and 74 walks.
Mahle follows in the tradition of Reds' farm products Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco and Billy Hamilton in winning the Sheldon "Chief" Bender Minor League Player of the Year Award, finishing 2015 with a 2.43 ERA, 13 wins and 135 strikeouts.
Chapman was a shoo-in for Pitcher of the Year, posting a 1.63 ERA in 65 appearances in 2015. After starting the season with 13 consecutive scoreless outings, the hard-throwing hurler turned in 33 saves.
Frazier led the Reds with 35 home runs and 89 RBIs, as well as serving as an ambassador for the city of Cincinnati during All-Star Week and for the Reds Heads Kids Club.
Votto's resurgent 2015 saw him accumulate 171 hits, 29 home runs, 80 RBIs, 33 doubles and a Major League-leading 143 walks while batting .314.
"It's always appreciated," said Votto of being selected as the team's Ernie Lombardi MVP Award winner for the fourth time. "There's always competition."