Todd Frazier vented his frustration about MLB's umpires

Todd Frazier vented his frustration about MLB's umpires

by Nick Giacone May 03, 2018

Todd Frazier is not happy with MLB umpiring lately.

Following the Mets’ 7-0 defeat on Wednesday, Frazier was asked about Braves starter Sean Newcomb’s performance. Frazier took the opening to take MLB's umpires behind the woodshed for their inability to correctly call balls and strikes. Whether he was blowing off steam about Jacob deGrom’s injury, the Mets’ ailing offense, or just the loss itself, one thing is clear: The Toddfather has reached his tipping point.

Frazier said he’s been unhappy with the umpiring against him for about the past five-to-six games, as he explained that it’s hard for a team to get going when their batters are starting a majority of their at-bats “in the hole.” And while he made it clear he’s not blaming the losses on this, Frazier hopes his comments will enact some change. He has a private meeting with some umpires from the Mets’ previous series against the Padres, where they reviewed and debated specific calls from those games, which he viewed as progress.

The umps’ inaccuracy is a league-wide concern among batters, but even more so for Frazier. Todd has adapted his batting approach in the past couple of years to draw more walks and win those 3-2 count battles, which rely heavily on the accuracy of calls from behind the plate. According to conversations he’s had with Steve Gelbs, Frazier and players around the league are used to a 90-to-93% accuracy mark from umps. According to Gelbs, the current mark is around 84%. 

“These umpires have to get better, bottom line,” he vented after Wednesday’s loss.

On one hand, Frazier may have a valid argument. As younger, less experienced umps step into more prominent rolls, there has been talk over the past few years about diminishing accuracy on calls from behind the plate. And anecdotally, the low-outside strike was called far too liberally in Wednesday night's affair. But on the flip side, it’s tough to say how this has directly affected the Mets’ recent string of poor play, and Frazier may be releasing some misguided frustration. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few days.

Photo credits: Getty Images
Jim McIssac




Nick Giacone
Nick Giacone

Author




Also in The 7 Line Blog

June 23rd Pregame At The K Korner
June 23rd Pregame At The K Korner

by The 7 Line June 18, 2025

Swing by the K Korner on Monday June 23rd before the Mets take on the Braves. If you're sitting with us or not, you can enjoy exclusive specials on Montauk draft beers by rocking any of your T7L merch to the bar.

Read More

T7LRC PITTSBURGH FUN RUN
T7LRC PITTSBURGH FUN RUN

by The 7 Line June 07, 2025

Join us for a fun run (or walk) 5K the morning of The 7 Line Army outing in Pittsburgh. If you’re not feeling the whole route, just cut it short and head back to the ballpark. All paces, and distances welcome.

Read More

June 14th Tailgate With The 7 Line Army
June 14th Tailgate With The 7 Line Army

by The 7 Line June 05, 2025

Kick off your weekend at our tailgate on Saturday June 14th! You don't need to be sitting with The 7 Line Army to tailgate together. Let's get the good vibes started in the parking lot and hopefully they continue until last pitch. Food, drinks, games, music and more in the Marina Lot. 

Read More

1