Pittsburgh’s Adam Frazier has been named the National League starter at second base for this year’s All-Star Game at Coors Field. The announcement was made tonight by Major League Baseball.
Frazier received 47 percent of the votes in phase two of the fan voting. He becomes the first Pirate to start by way of fan balloting since Andrew McCutchen in 2014. The 29-year-old Frazier will also become the first Pirates second baseman to start in the Midsummer Classic since Hall-of-Famer Bill Mazeroski did so in 1967 (Frazier and Mazeroski are the only two second basemen in Pirates history to start in an All-Star Game).
Frazier becomes the ninth different Pirate to earn the starting nod at the All-Star Game through fan balloting, joining Dave Parker (four times), Willie Stargell (twice), Andy Van Slyke (twice) and Jason Bay, Barry Bonds, Roberto Clemente, Andrew McCutchen and Bobby Bonilla (one time apiece).
With Frazier starting the 2021 game and Josh Bell starting as the designated hitter in 2019, this marks the first time since 1992-93 that the Pirates have had two different players starting in back-to-back All-Star Games (Andy Van Slyke was a starting outfielder in 1992 and 1993 and Barry Bonds started the game in 1992).
With 100 hits coming into today, Frazier is one of just three players in MLB to reach the century mark this season along with Nick Castellanos (102) and Trea Turner (100). Since 1970, Frazier is the fifth Pirates player with 100 or more hits through the team’s first 79 games of a season, joining Andrew McCutchen (101 in 2012), Jack Wilson (113 in 2004), Dave Parker (105 in 1977) and Al Oliver, who did it twice (103 in 1976 and 103 in 1972).
Frazier entered today ranked second in the National League in hitting (.327), tied for second in doubles (24), sixth in on-base percentage (.395) and 10th in OPS (.865) and total bases (144).
He also ranks first among all National League second basemen with at least 330 plate appearances in batting average (.329), OBP (.399) and OPS (.863) and second in total bases (137). Frazier also ranks first in the National League and second in all of Major League Baseball with 97 hits batting leadoff, trailing only Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins (99).