From the Field: Travis Fryman, if, Cleveland Baseball
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Travis Fryman. Years ago, when he was managing Cleveland’s low-A team in Mahoning Valley, I drove down there three nights in a row trying to get him. I assumed, as a manager, that he would not be difficult. He was. And considering it was an hour-plus drive each way, I was not thrilled. But that is how autographs work, I guess. If it was easy, everyone would do it.
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But hey I got some now. Cleveland traded for Travis Fryman in 1997, and he would man the hot corner for the next five seasons. And for the first three seasons, he was great, with a 112 OPS+ and an All-Star selection (in 2000, his last of five career selections). He struggled in 2001 and 2002 and retired before the 2003 season. All told he had a solid career (104 OPS+, 34.4 WAR, five all-star selections, one Gold Glove, and one Silver Slugger). Following his retirement, Cleveland didn’t have a long-term answer at third base until 2018, when Jose Ramirez became the starter.