James Seth Frankoff (born August 27, 1988) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

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. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the Doosan Bears.

Career

He was born in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

and attended Apex High School before attending University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In 2007, he was a member of the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team, also known as Team USA, represents the United States in international level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United S ...

Oakland Athletics

He was drafted by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

in the 27th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his professional debut in 2010 with the AZL Athletics, and also played for the Low-A Vancouver Canadians, recording a 5–5 record and 2.81 ERA. He split the next year between the Single-A Burlington Bees and Vancouver, accumulating a 6–4 record and 3.60 ERA in 19 appearances. He remained in Burlington for the 2012 season and was a Mid-season All-Star. In 2013, Frankoff played for the High-A Stockton Ports, pitching to a 2–0 record and 2.78 ERA with 93 strikeouts. He split the 2014 season between the Double-A Midland RockHounds and the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, recording a 3–3 record and 3.36 ERA, and was also a Mid-season All-star for Midland. He split the 2015 season between Midland and the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, pitching to a 3.71 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 47 games. On March 30, 2016, Frankoff was released by the Athletics organization.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On April 5, 2016, Frankoff signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

organization. He split the year between the Triple–A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

and the Double–A Tulsa Drillers, accumulating a 4–4 record and 3.89 ERA in 28 total games. Frankoff elected free agency following the season on November 7.

Chicago Cubs

On November 16, 2016, Frankoff signed a minor league contract with the

organization. One source said, "he checks most of the boxes ... he rarely walks hitters, which is a standard draw for the Cubs brass," in explaining why Chicago signed him. On June 8, 2017, Frankoff was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his major league debut on June 9, 2017, against the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

relieving in the fifth inning. He allowed two runs in two innings before being optioned down the next day. On September 1, 2017, Frankoff was designated for assignment.

Seattle Mariners

On September 4, 2017, Frankoff was claimed off waivers by the

. Frankoff was granted his release by the Mariners on December 10, in order to pursue pitching opportunities in South Korea.

Doosan Bears

Frankoff signed with the Doosan Bears of the

on December 12, 2017. In 2018 for the Bears, he recorded an 18–3 record and 3.74 ERA in 28 games. On December 20, 2018, Frankoff re-signed with Doosan for the 2019 season. He pitched to a 9–8 record and 3.61 ERA in 2019 and became a free agent after the year.

Seattle Mariners (second stint)

On February 14, 2020, Frankoff 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

organization. Frankoff elected free agency on July 14, 2020. On August 11, 2020, Frankoff signed a minor league contract with the

. On August 30, Frankoff's contract was selected to the active roster. He recorded a ghastly 16.88 ERA in 2 games in 2020. On October 19, Frankoff was outrighted off of the 40-man roster and assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers He became a free agent on November 2.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 8, 2021, Frankoff signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On May 12, Frankoff was selected to the active roster. On June 15, he was placed on the 60-day injured list with right forearm soreness. On September 8, Frankoff was released by the Diamondbacks. Frankoff had posted a 9.20 ERA in 4 appearances for Arizona.

Diablos Rojos del México

On May 10, 2022, Frankoff signed with the Diablos Rojos del México of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 2 starts, he registered an 0–1 record with a 12.00 ERA in 6 total innings. Frankoff was released on May 30.

High Point Rockers

On September 1, 2022, Frankoff signed with the High Point Rockers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 4 games for High Point, Frankoff pitched to a 4.76 ERA with 7 strikeouts across innings of work. He became a free agent after the season. On June 9, 2023, Frankoff announced his retirement from professional baseball via

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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankoff, Seth 1988 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Athletics players Arizona League Dodgers players Baseball players from Raleigh, North Carolina Burlington Bees players Chicago Cubs players Doosan Bears players Estrellas Orientales players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Iowa Cubs players KBO League pitchers Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Solar Sox players Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Oklahoma City Dodgers players Sacramento River Cats players Seattle Mariners players Stockton Ports players Tulsa Drillers players UNC Wilmington Seahawks baseball players Vancouver Canadians players Vermont Lake Monsters players