Kevin Vincent Frandsen (born May 24, 1982) is an American sports broadcaster and former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

utility player In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo. The ...

. Frandsen played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, and

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. He provided television color commentary for the Nationals in the 2022 season.

Playing career

College

Born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, Frandsen graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California, and later attended

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

, playing for the Spartans and leaving the school as its all-time leader in hits. Frandsen is one of 28 graduates from Bellarmine to play professional baseball. Frandsen was inducted into San Jose State's Hall of Fame in 2014.

San Francisco Giants

He was drafted by the

in the 12th round (370th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft and made his Major League debut with the Giants on April 28, 2006. Frandsen hit his first Major League

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on August 17, 2006, against the

Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL pennan ...

at Petco Park. On May 13, 2007, Frandsen, playing 2nd base, assisted on

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indi ...

's MLB record setting 1,591st double play. On September 21, 2007, Frandsen became the most recent player on the

to get five base hits in a single game In March 2008, the San Francisco Giants confirmed that Frandsen ruptured his left

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

, which forced him to miss nearly the entire season. Frandsen was activated before the final game of the season; he had his only at-bat as a pinch hitter and made an out. Frandsen participated in the

Arizona Fall League The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are fille ...

in 2005, 2006 and 2008. During the Giants' 2009

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

camp Frandsen competed with

Emmanuel Burriss Emmanuel Allen Burriss (born January 17, 1985) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Phillies. He is a switch-h ...

for the starting second baseman position; Burriss was named the starter on April 1, 2009, and Frandsen was sent to the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...

. Later in the year, May 17, 2009, Frandsen was called up as

Juan Uribe Juan Cespedes Uribe Tena (born March 22, 1979) is a Dominican former professional baseball infielder. He played shortstop, third base and second base during his career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox ...

was placed on the

bereavement list Major League Baseball transactions are changes made to the roster of a major league team during or after the season. They may include waiving, releasing, and trading players, as well as assigning players to minor league teams. Active, expanded, a ...

Boston Red Sox

Just prior to the 2010 season, Frandsen was dealt to the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

for a player to be named later and cash considerations. On March 29, he was optioned to the Red Sox's Triple-A Affiliate, the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

, along with catcher

Dusty Brown Dustin William "Dusty" Brown (born June 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. Professional career Boston Red Sox Brown was draft ...

. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

on April 28.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On April 29, 2010, Frandsen was acquired off waivers by the

. He was added to the active roster, mainly playing third base to help the team deal with injuries to

Maicer Izturis Maicer Eduardo Izturis (; born September 12, 1980) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball infielder. During his career he played for the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB ...

and Brandon Wood. After the 2010 season, the Angels non-tendered Frandsen, making him a free agent.

San Diego Padres

On January 5, 2011, Frandsen signed a minor-league contract with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

. He was released on March 25.

Philadelphia Phillies

Three days after his release from the Padres, Frandsen signed a minor league contract with the

. He spent the 2011 season with the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

, the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. After spending the first four months of the 2012 season in Lehigh Valley, he was placed on the Phillies' 25-man active roster on July 27 following

Plácido Polanco Plácido Enrique Polanco (; born October 10, 1975) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins. He was a ...

's move to the disabled list. Frandsen played in 55 games, including 49 starts at third base, batting .338 with 10 doubles and 2 home runs in 195 at-bats. After the season, he signed a one-year contract with the Phillies. On May 26, 2013, Frandsen was

ejected Ejection or Eject may refer to: * Ejection (sports), the act of officially removing someone from a game * Eject (''Transformers''), a fictional character from ''The Transformers'' television series * "Eject" (song), 1993 rap rock single by Sense ...

by umpire

Mike Winters Michael John Winters (born November 19, 1958) is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League from 1988 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 to 2019, wearing number 33. For the 2011 seaso ...

for arguing a swinging strike call. It was Frandsen's first career MLB ejection. On June 22, 2013, Frandsen hit his first career walk-off home run, a blast off the facade of the upper deck in left field, giving the Phillies a win over the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. On December 2, 2013, Frandsen signed one-year contract with Philadelphia that would pay him $900,000 in 2014, avoiding arbitration. He was outrighted off the roster on March 23, 2014, and elected for free agency on March 25.

Washington Nationals

After leading

with 14 pinch hits in 2013, Frandsen signed with the

on March 26, 2014. He was released on April 1, 2015.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Frandsen signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

on April 21, 2015. He was released on May 30.

Return to the Giants

Frandsen signed a minor league deal for another stint with the

on May 31, 2015. On September 23, he was called up to the majors to replace Ehire Adrianza after the latter had suffered a concussion.

Post-playing career

When Frandsen did not receive an invitation to spring training in 2016, he realized his baseball career was coming to an end. On August 8, 2016, he started co-hosting a morning sports talk radio show on KNBR 1050 called "The Audible". On August 14, 2017, he began co-hosting "KNBR Tonight" on KNBR 680. Frandsen coached a year of high school baseball along with his former college coach Sam Piraro at Willow Glen High School in San Jose, California. That year, he helped coach them to a CCS Championship. In January 2018, it was announced that Frandsen would be serving as a part-time color analyst for the

Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network The Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network is a network of 21 radio stations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey that air Major League Baseball games of the Philadelphia Phillies. The lead announcers are Scott Franzke with play-by-play and Larr ...

during the 2018 season. In December 2018, it was announced that Frandsen's radio role would expand to calling half the Phillies' games per season alongside play-by-play announcer

Scott Franzke Scott Franzke (born March 6, 1972) is an American sportscaster, best known as the radio play-by-play In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or ev ...

. In January 2022, the Washington Nationals announced that Frandsen would join the MASN broadcast team and provide color commentary for Nationals TV coverage.

Personal life

Frandsen, with family and friends, started and runs the "19 For Life" Foundation "...to fund off-site recreational activities for children coping with serious illness at

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford (LPCH) is a nationally ranked women's and children's hospital which is part of the Stanford University Health system. The hospital is located adjacent to the campus at 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, Cal ...

; scholarships for local high school athletes who have overcome illness and adversity; and Bellarmine seniors needing financial assistance to complete their high school education." In 2007, Frandsen completed the two courses he needed for graduation and earned a degree in finance from

References

External links

*
Frannie on the Farm
– Kevin Frandsen's MLBlog
San Jose State biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frandsen, Kevin 1982 births Living people Baseball players from San Jose, California Major League Baseball second basemen San Francisco Giants players Los Angeles Angels players Philadelphia Phillies players Washington Nationals players San Jose State Spartans baseball players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players San Jose Giants players Norwich Navigators players Fresno Grizzlies players Pawtucket Red Sox players Salt Lake Bees players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Clearwater Threshers players Reading Phillies players Reno Aces players Sacramento River Cats players Major League Baseball broadcasters Philadelphia Phillies announcers Washington Nationals announcers Bellarmine College Preparatory alumni