USA Baseball’s Olympic roster has a New Jersey flavor
When Team USA takes on Israel on July 30 in the opening round of the 2020 (that’s not a misprint…remember COVID?) Olympics, the Garden State will be well represented.
The final roster of coaches, plus 12 pitchers and 12 positions players was announced on Friday and includes third base coach Darren Fenster, and former MLB players Todd Frazier and Patrick Kivlehan, all of whom have their baseball roots here in the Garden State.
DARREN FENSTER – Darren grew up in Middletown Township where he attended Middletown Township High School South (a 2007 inductee into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame) and Rutgers University where he was a two-time All-American shortstop. Following a five-year professional playing career, Darren returned to his collegiate alma mater as a coach before ultimately moving into the professional ranks. He is currently the Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator for the Boston Red Sox.
TODD FRAZIER – “The Toddfather” is no stranger to New Jersey baseball fans. Some of us first became aware of him in 1998 when Todd was a key player on the Toms River East American Little League All-Star team that won the New Jersey state championship, and then the US East regional championship, to advance to the 1998 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Another Rutgers University product, Todd was a first-round pick in the 2007 MLB draft. Making his MLB debut in 2011 with the Cincinnati Reds, he played for six MLB teams including both the Yankees and Mets. The Star Ledger named him one of the 50 greatest athletes in the history of Rutgers University.
PATRICK KIVLEHAN – Patrick was a two-sport high school star at St. Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale NJ. He went to Rutgers (anyone see a pattern here?) on a football scholarship where he played with future NFL stars Mohamed Sanu, Devin & Jason McCourty, Logan Ryan, and Duron Harmon. After his senior year of football, and not having played baseball since high school four years earlier, Patrick tried out for the Rutgers baseball team as a walk-on. He went on to hit .392/.480/.693 with 14 home runs, 50 RBI’s and 24 steals in 51 games to win Big East Player of the Year honors. Like Todd Frazier, “Kiv” was named one of Rutgers’ 50 greatest athletes. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2012, he made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2016, hitting a home run in his second major league at bat.
