Get To Know RiverDogs Pitcher Caleb Frare

Caleb Frare faced a great deal of adversity returning to baseball after spending the past two seasons out of the game. Frare was selected by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of Custer County High School in Miles City, Montana. He had Tommy John surgery after his first professional season with the GCL Yankees 1 and spent the last two years recovering from the injury. He was also hit by a car near the Yankees Complex in Tampa in February 2014. Frare, a left-handed pitcher, begins the 2015 season with the Charleston RiverDogs.

Steve Goldberg: Which player did you admire most growing up?

Caleb Frare: I admired Josh Hamilton a lot. He plays the game really well, he plays it fast. He loves being out there every day and you can see that even though he is

SG: Did you know Josh Hamilton used to play here in Charleston?

CF: I did not know that at all!

SG: Did you have a favorite team growing up in Montana?

CF: It was the Mariners because Western Montana is closer to Seattle than Southern Montana is to Colorado. We got their programming in Eastern Montana. They were always on so I watched them all the time.

SG: Can you describe your emotions when you heard the Yankees call your name on draft day in 2012?

CF: We all just started screaming. We didn't even hear my first name called. They just said my draft ID number and Frare. Then we just started screaming. So they might have drafted a different Frare, but I'm the one that showed up.

SG: You have spent a lot of time down in Tampa but haven't pitched the past two seasons due to Tommy John surgery. How excited are you to start playing with the RiverDogs?

CF: I'm more than ecstatic. I've been waiting two and a half years to get in a game again. It's going to be a sweet experience.

SG: You have had a short stay here in Charleston so far, but what do you like most about it?

CF: It's pretty small. It reminds me of home. There are not a lot of chain restaurants, there are not a lot of chain hotels. It's just kind of local.

SG: What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming season?

CF: Staying healthy and getting to pitch. I've been away from the game for way too long and I'm just ready to pitch.