C. Trent Rosecrans

crosecrans@enquirer.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- Talk about quality family time – Reds third baseman Todd Frazier and his brother Charlie got to spend a long night at Target Field on Monday, as the Reds third baseman swung his way to the finals of the Home Run Derby, while his oldest brother lobbed balls into him.

Frazier may have fallen 9-1 to repeat champion Yoenis Cespedes in the finals, but by that time, the Frazier family had already won.

"That was the best part, because they were both cheering me on and they want the best for me every time," Frazier said afterwards. "To be the National League guy for Cincinnati -- at least I bring that back home, at least I'm the defending National League champ. I can put that on my resume."

Wearing No. 21 with his surname on the back of his red and blue jersey, Charlie Frazier, the oldest of the three Frazier brothers, finally made it on a big league field.

And he stayed there for a quite a while, as Frazier advanced all the way to the finals in the rain-delayed derby. Frazier pulled off the upset of the tournament-style derby by defeating Miami's Giancarlo Stanton 1-0 in the semifinals before advancing to the finals. Frazier also beat two Rockies, first topping Justin Morneau in a "swing off" and then Troy Tulowitzki (6-2).

"(It was) everything I thought it'd be -- it was a magical moment," Charlie Frazier said. "Too bad he didn't win, but I think he put himself on the map a little bit and showed his stuff. He made us proud."

Frazier hit two home runs in the first round, tying him for third among National Leaguers in the first round, forcing the "swing off" with three swings each. After two outs, Frazier hit a second-deck shot to left field, while Morneau followed with three homerless swings.

Frazier was the first hitter of the night, hitting his first home run after making four of his allotted seven outs, and then his second after one more out. His second home run went 427 feet into the second deck.

The fact that Frazier didn't win the whole thing did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Frazier clan, which showed up to Minnesota in full force.

"To me, it's the final straw," Jeff, the middle Frazier brother, said of Charlie's debut earlier in the day. "Growing up, Charlie set the stage for all of us. He had the experience that helped me get to the big leagues and then Todd. So we're considering this Charlie's major league debut. We know he's excited. He's got the butterflies. I told him, 'This is it. Welcome to the show.'"

Charlie Frazier, 34, was drafted by the Marlins in the sixth round in 1999 and played six seasons in their system, topping out at Double-A Carolina.

Charlie was followed by Jeff, who was drafted in the third round by the Tigers in 2004. Jeff Frazier, 31, was the first Frazier in the big leagues, playing nine games for the Tigers in 2010.

And then there's Todd, the Reds' third baseman. The baby of the family – 5 1/2 years younger than Charlie and 3 1/2 years younger than Jeff – he's the first of the family to become an everyday big leaguer, and now All-Star.

Since Todd made the big leagues, he told Charlie that when he was in the Home Run Derby, he'd choose him to pitch. Charlie never thought much about it – until last Wednesday, when he woke up early that morning on his vacation in the British Virgin Islands to find 30 missed calls and 70 texts on his phone – none from Todd.

When it was announced that Frazier would participate in the Home Run Derby, Todd Frazier told reporters that Charlie would be throwing to him – even before he told Charlie. So Charlie, on vacation, was one of the last people to know he was going to be an All-Star.

"I started looking at it, and my jaw dropped – I thought, no way, this dream might be coming true," Charlie said Monday before the Home Run Derby. "I went to my iPad in the living room at 5:30 in the morning and started reading some articles and that's how I found out before anything else. He'd asked me a couple of days before, and now I'm at 5:30 and I'm pacing back and forth and figuring out how I can get back."

Charlie flew from the British Virgin Island to Puerto Rico and then to Newark, New Jersey on Sunday. He was home for four hours and then the entire Frazier clan came to Minneapolis, arriving Monday morning.

Upon arrival, Charlie and Todd went into the hallway of their Minneapolis hotel to play catch, warming up Charlie's arm for the big night. At breakfast, Charlie got some words of encouragement from a former teammate, Miguel Cabrera.

"I told him I was throwing to my brother and needed some advice and he said, 'You've got it, Loco, you've got it,'" Frazier said, referring to the nickname Cabrera had given him when they were roommates in the minors.

Charlie throws plenty of batting practice at home, where he and Jeff own Frazier Baseball, an indoor baseball facility in Toms River, New Jersey. During the winter, Todd works out there, taking BP at least twice a day, his brother said.

Before the event, Todd said he hoped that familiarity would help. But in the end, it was about more than winning, it was about family.

"I'm excited, it's kind of numbing. My wife and I have been doing this for 13 years, starting with rookie ball for Charlie," said Todd's father, also named Charlie. "Jeff got drafted out of Rutgers, and now we've got Todd that came through. There's been 13 years of transition to this. We're really proud of all of them."

Todd gives his brothers much of the credit for paving his way to the big leagues and the All-Star Game.

As kids, the older brothers wouldn't let young Todd join in their whiffle ball or basketball games, but Todd would always tattle on his brothers to his father.

"Dad would come out and he snatched the ball and said, 'If he can't play, you can't play,'" Charlie said.

Said Jeff, "I used to tell him, No. 1, don't think we're going to take it easy on you, and No. 2, don't think we're going to let you win. The bottom line is it made him a competitor and a stronger and now there are no situations he can't handle. We put him in a situation where it's another BP for him."

But it wasn't just another BP for Charlie, and for that, he's thankful for his little brother.

"It's been a dream come true. It started with Jeff when he first got his call-up. We worked so hard together. As kids, we were so competitive – holes in the wall, beating each other up and all that stuff," Charlie said. "Once Jeff got called up, his call-up was in Boston. The whole family was so excited. Toms River had our back. That was our first ride. You could see how excited we were, how happy Todd was. Now that Todd's made it and he's doing good, it's so much fun. I set my schedule every day by his games. ... Our family's pretty tight."