Kevin Frandsen

Kevin Frandsen

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lbs.
• School San Jose State University
• High School Bellarmine College Preparatory
• Debut April 28, 2006
• Final Game October 3, 2015
• Born May 24, 1982 in San Jose, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Kevin Frandsen played in the majors from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2015. At the end of July 2010, in an unusual move, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim sent him down to the minors even though he had the highest batting average on the team, because Brandon Wood couldn't clear waivers to go down.

Kevin, born in San Jose, CA, went to high school in San Jose and attended San Jose State University.

As a college sophomore, Frandsen hit .317/.409/.522. The next year, his batting average and OBP went up but his SLG went down to .332/.413/.455. In 2004, Kevin batted .321/.421/.444 and was skilled in getting hit by pitches (18 times in 52 games). He made the Western Athletic Conference All-Conference team as a utility man.

The San Francisco Giants then drafted Frandsen in the 12th round of the 2004 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Matt Nerland and assigned initially to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, batting .296/.369/.439, seeing time mostly at second base. In 2005, Frandsen had an impressive year: he hit .351/.429/.467 for the San Jose Giants, back in his hometown for 75 games, then moved up to the Norwich Navigators and posted a .287/.336/.395 line in 33 games. Finally, he hit .351/.378/.543 with 10 doubles in 20 games for the Fresno Grizzlies, going from A through AAA in one year. He also was a late substitution for Marcus Sanders for the 2005 Futures Game and went 0 for 1 after replacing Josh Barfield at 2B in a 4-0 loss. Overall, he hit .335 and was named the Giants Minor League Player of the Year. Baseball America named him the best defensive second baseman in the California League.

Frandsen made a couple of stops with the Giants in 2006 but spent most of the year in Fresno. He hit .304/.358/.440 with Fresno and .215/.284/.323 in 41 games with the Giants. In 2007, Frandsen hit .403/.506/.522 in 19 games for Fresno and .269/.331/.379 in 109 for the Giants.

Frandsen ruptured his Achilles tendon prior to the 2008 season and missed the full year except for one game. In 2009 he was back, splitting his time with Fresno and with the major league team. He played 23 games at the major league level, hitting only .140. He did a lot better at Fresno, with a batting line of .295/.352/.438 with 18 doubles and 13 homers in 110 games. At the end of spring training in 2010, the Giants sent him to the Boston Red Sox. He played 17 games for the Pawtucket Red Sox, hitting .258, then was claimed off waivers by the Angels on April 29th. He came up to the big club shortly after that and was hitting .288 when sent down to AAA on July 23rd. He hit .277 in 36 games for the Salt Lake Bees and was called up again when rosters expanded in September. He didn't hit as well in his second stint in L.A., finishing the year at .250/.294/.319.

Frandsen continued his nomadic ways in 2011. He was first signed as free agent by the San Diego Padres in January, released at the end of March when he failed to make the team in spring training, and then signed again by the Philadelphia Phillies, who were looking for some infield depth with Chase Utley out for a number of weeks. He was assigned to AAA Lehigh Valley and started the year hitting very well, going .321/.369/.505 over his first 30 games. However, on May 11th, Major League Baseball announced that he had tested positive for ritalinic acid, a banned performance-enhancing substance and he was handed an immediate 50-game suspension. In the end, he did not play at all in the majors that season, but got into 55 games for the Phillies in 2012, hitting a solid .338/.383/.451 in 195 at-bats. The upshoot was that 2013 was the first season that he spent entirely in the majors (except for his abbreviated 2008).

Sources include 2005-2006 Baseball Almanacs

Related Sites

• Kevin Frandsen on mlb.com