Inside Grapevine product David Fry’s journey from average prospect to MLB All-Star
For Cleveland Guardian utility man David Fry, the 2024 All-Star weekend is a homecoming.
Fry attended Grapevine High School, which is a quick 16-mile drive from Globe Life Field in Arlington.
“It’s awesome having my family there,” Fry said. “We live 10 minutes down the road and them getting to come. And my friends aren’t hounding me about tickets but a lot of people are able to come. It’s really fun.”
In 2024, Fry is batting .279 with eight home runs and 33 RBIs. His stats don’t jump off the page, but his versatility with the Guardians in his second MLB season was enough to earn a spot; the Guardians lead the American League with a .611 winning percentage.
Fry has come a long way since his early high school days in North Texas, and said he learned a lot during his time with the Mustangs. He acknowledged that he “wasn’t a good player” as an underclassman at Grapevine.
“I learned a lot,” Fry said of his high school experience. ‘How to play the game, how to be a good teammate. ... My junior year we had a really good team. We made a deep run in the playoffs. Just the group of guys that we had. We had a group of seniors that were a year older than me that I really enjoyed hanging out with.”
Fry credited his decision to attend Northwestern State for part of his success. He didn’t think it was possible to be a major league player coming out of high school.
“I didn’t get recruited by a whole lot of schools,” Fry said. “So the process was pretty easy for me. My junior year, Northwestern State came and saw me play. They offered me and was about the only school that was talking to me.”
Fry emphasized the importance of momentum in baseball. He said it’s important for high school players to pick a college where they can have fun and receive playing time.
“I just did it because I really liked playing baseball, and it just happened to keep going,” Fry said.
Fry’s love for the game took him on an unlikely journey back home to the MLB All-Star Game, where he’ll share a locker room with MLB’s finest and several Hall of Fame caliber players. Despite the All-Star nod, Fry still doesn’t think he is an elite talent and humbly deflected the credit for his success.
“I still don’t know that I’m that good,” Fry said. “I think it’s just been consistently consistent consistency. I really think that God’s had a plan for me and he’s kind of working stuff out.”
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told Fry he made the All-Star team during a team meeting. He didn’t expect to make the cut alongside teammates José Ramírez, Steven Kwan, Emmanuel Clase and Josh Naylor.
“I was fired up,” Fry said. “Everyone went kind of nuts. It was a really cool experience.”
Fry’s All-Star nod wasn’t the only significant accomplishment for Grapevine baseball. In June, the Mustangs won the Class 5A State Championship in walk off fashion, cementing themselves as a powerhouse in Texas high school baseball.
Fry’s current goal is for a Grapevine baseball player to win another championship. This time, it’s at the highest level.
“Win the division and win the World Series,” Fry said of his goals. “I think with the team that we have this year, I think that’s a realistic goal, but definitely one that we’re going for.”
For now, Fry is focused on enjoying the All-Star weekend while being surrounded by teammates, friends, family and the best baseball players in the world.
“Getting to be around the guys and hanging out,” Fry said. “This is just gonna be fun, with family here too. It’ll be an unreal experience.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 3:37 PM.
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