Jeff looks small in the photo on this card and he is, for a pro ball player. The back of this card lists him at 5-6 and 165 pounds. For some reason that seems fitting for a middle infielder named Frye At least steroids weren't a concern.
The Rangers took Jeff in the 30th round of the 1988 draft. By the start of the 1990 season he had two seasons of minor league ball under his belt. A+ Charlotte would be his third level up of play.
Frye turned out to be the iron man of the Charlotte Rangers, appearing in 131 of the 138 games the team played. That was the most of any player on the roster. Jeff also led the team in plate appearances with 596. In those appearances he tallied a .272 batting average and a .372 on-base percentage. Significantly for a minor league player without much experience, he drew 80 walks. As you might suspect, Frye was not a power hitter. He hit no home runs, 16 doubles, and 7 triples. The triples, and perhaps some of the doubles, were likely more a result of Jeff's speed than power. He stole 29 bases while getting caught just six times.
Minor league fielding stats are not as complete as the Majors. Looks like Frye played in 129 games at second for Charlotte, that's the only position he played. In 615 chances he committed 13 errors for a 979 fielding percentage.
Apparently Jeff Frye wasn't going to let his late draft slot determine his future. He was making progress every season he played. He still needed to work on his defense but his bat and plate discipline were holding steady. 1990 would see him heading to AA with the Tulsa Drillers.
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