Frash adjusting to life in minor leagues
Camarillo High grad, a draft pick of the Oakland Athletics, plays for Vancouver Canadians
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

Justin Frash

The rigors of professional baseball can be taxing on a young player's body. Former Camarillo High standout Justin Frash knows this well.

Frash, who after graduating from ACHS in 2002 played collegiately at Oxnard College and the University of Hawaii, is getting his first taste of pro ball with the Vancouver Canadians, a short-season Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.

Following two highly successful seasons at Hawaii, Frash was selected in the 27th round of June's First-Year Player Draft by Oakland.

Since reporting to Vancouver a month ago, the third baseman has batted .198 in 25 games through Wednesday. He has 16 hits in 81 at-bats.

Frash said the biggest adjustment from college to the pros has been learning to get his body ready to take the field each and every day, as opposed to college where teams generally play three games per week.

"I've talked with everybody on the team, and most of us say that we never thought pro ball would be like this when we thought about playing," Frash said.

"It's a grind on your body every day. It's hard. You've got to get your sleep and eat right because it's difficult to be ready to play day after day. You really have to get yourself physically prepared. That's what I'm trying to get used to."

After playing in all 59 games for Hawaii as a senior, Frash only had a little bit of time off before joining Vancouver. All told, the Canadians will play 76 games in 79 days this season, with their campaign wrapping up on Sept. 5 against the Everett AquaSox.

"You look forward to the offdays," he said.

Luckily for Frash, he's got a few mentors that he can call for advice at any time, day or night. His father, Roger Frash, has been coaching at Oxnard College for the past 10 years. His cousin, Josh Towers, pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays, and his uncle, Steve Santora, once played in the San Francisco Giants organization.

The elder Frash knows something about playing minor league baseball, too, having been the second player selected overall by the New York Mets in the 1980 draft. In those days, Major League Baseball had two separate drafts, one for high school players and another for college players.

In three years in the Mets' minor league system, Roger Frash competed with guys like Billy Beane, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin Mitchell. Beane is now Oakland's general manager. He undoubtedly had the final say in drafting Justin Frash this year.

"It's the perfect situation for my kid," Roger Frash said.

"Billy (Beane) is a guy that looks for players who can run the count deep, guys who don't swing and miss a lot, can put the bat on the ball, draw walks and hit balls into the gaps. He doesn't care about body styles . . . If you can play the game, he doesn't care how you look."

Justin Frash stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 190 pounds, which aren't prototypical numbers for a power-hitting position like third base. Still, his body measurements have never negatively affected his play on the field.

He was an All-CIF selection as a member of the 2002 CIFSouthern Section Division I champion Scorpion baseball squad. At Oxnard College, after redshirting his first year, Frash earned All-Conference honors in 2004 and 2005.

Frash said winning the conference championship at Oxnard College in 2005 was his greatest on-field memory to date.

"Peter Reveles, a teammate, was shot early in the year and died," Frash said. "We ended up with 28 wins, and that was his number. Everything was for him that year."

Frash was recruited by UCLA, Arkansas and Hawaii after helping Oxnard College capture the conference title in '05.

"When Hawaii called me the first night, I was like, 'There's no way I'm going there,'" Frash said.

After visiting with the Rainbows' coaching staff, Frash quickly changed his mind.

"I just fell in love with the philosophy they had there. It was a great place for me."

In his junior year at Hawaii Frash started all 60 games and finished with a teamhigh .359 batting average. He was second on the squad with 59 RBI and posted 25 multiple-hit games. Frash earned All-WAC Tournament and All-Regional Team honors in 2006.

This past season he batted .346 in 59 games, good for second on the team. Frash had 35 RBI and 106 total bases.

"It wasn't bad," he said. "I could've hit a little better. I think I did better last year at the plate, but that's the name of the game. You just keep playing every day and don't take an at-bat off."

When his season is complete in Vancouver, Frash will return to Hawaii to try and complete a degree in criminal justice. He has one semester remaining at the university.

Frash said he's eager to improve while in Vancouver, with the hopes of being invited to Oakland's instructional camp during the winter. In a perfect world, he'll spend the early part of 2008 at the Athletics' spring training complex, working out with the big leaguers.

"A lot of people don't get to play pro baseball," he said. "I'm going to take as much as I can out of it."