PHOTO: Jake Fraley's wife Angelica celebrates as Reds star leads team to victory against Cubs with impressive batting display
Jake Fraley has been one of the Cincinnati Reds' most reliable offensive fixtures this season. Recently, the outfielder came up in a huge way to help his team secure a huge series win over a key divisional rival.
In the Reds' 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Fraley put his team on his shoulders. The 29-year-old went 3-for-3 with an RBI sac-fly and a run scored as his Reds left Wrigley Field with two wins in the three-game series. After the game, Raley's wife, Angelica, took to Instagram to offer congratulations, quoting the team's post that featured a picture of her husband alongside the words "fly it high."
Married in 2016, Luke and Angelica Fraley are the proud parents to their son, Joyce, and their daughter, Avery. Angelica and the kids can often be seen at Cincinnati games cheering on their father.
Originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, Jake Fraley made his MLB debut for the 2019 Seattle Mariners. However, Fraley struggled to burst into MLB regularity, appearing in fewer than 100 games between 2019 and 2021. Prior to the 2022 season, he was traded to the Reds in a multi-player deal that saw Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez go the other way.
"Jake Fraley on the mental impact of baseball" - Votto de la Cruz
2023, Jake Fraley's second season as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, was a breakout year. Through 111 games, the Maryland-native hit .256/.339/.443 with 15 home runs and 65 RBIs in a career campaign. So far this season, Fraley is hitting .295/.345/.380 with one home run and eight RBIs.
Jake Fraley believes there is still time for the Reds this season
Even after emerging from an away series win against the Chicago Cubs, the Reds are still struggling. Now with a record of 26-33, the team is last in the NL Central, 10.0 games behind the leader. However, Fraley is confident in a turnaround, commenting after Sunday's affair:
"Our entire offense was very cold.. but now you can see it, we're putting together timely hits"
Last season, the Reds were seen as a team of the future. Now, although that lustre has faded somewhat, believing that success is still achievable in this long season represents a powerful objective that performances like Jake Fraley's on Sunday can help come true.