Clint Frazier started the year with the Yankees batting .283 with 11 home runs and 54 hits. In June he was optioned to the Scranton RailRiders and became the subject of many trade rumors come the July deadline.
He was a major component in the Yankees’ success in the beginning of the 2019 season, contributing to rallies, stepping up when he needed to, and starting to work as an everyday player.
So what’s the problem?
Defensive Issues
Despite his offensive success, Frazier has dealt with a number of issues in the field this season. This may be due to him alternating between right and left, or maybe just not getting a good read of the ball off the bat. One also might consider the pressure of playing in New York to be a contributing factor, but since his offensive abilities remained strong, I don’t believe this affected him.
He has below average defensive stats, with a career -2.6 UZR (attempts to quantify how many runs a player saves/give up, average=0) and -4 DRS (similar to UZR). So, there is a lot of room for improvement.
I understand why Yankees fans are upset, as some of Frazier’s mistakes seemed to occur on routine plays. If he wants to play for the Yankees in the future, he needs to sort out the defensive misplays.
What can he do to fix it?
He can start by increasing his awareness of the game situation. Based on a few clips of his errors, it seems like if he thought about the circumstances of each at-bat, he would be able to make a better play.
For example, in a game against the Red Sox, Frazier was playing right and there was a runner on first. A hard hit ball comes his way, so he aggressively runs toward it and inevitably lets it escape past him. The runner on first scored and the batter made it all the way to third. It’s fine to be aggressive, but in this particular situation, the priority should have been keeping the runners from advancing that much. He would have been better off letting the ball come to him, and in doing so, this would have allowed him to have a more open stance, preventing the ball from getting past him.
Check out this clip at: https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/cc-sabathia-has-quality-start-off-injured-list
This advice also applies to when he tries to dive for balls in risky situations. In certain circumstances, it’s better to just let the ball bounce and sacrifice one base instead of hoping for a highlight reel catch every time.
Frazier has also missed a few fly balls. I think one of the problems with his fielding here is that he runs on his heels. I’m no baseball player, but running on your heels seems like it would make reading fly balls a lot harder than it has to be. I imagine it would be like watching the ball bounce up and down in the air while flying down at you.
His defensive abilities can improve with practice, and is definitely something he should work on while waiting for a call-up. One could also argue his offensive ability outweighs his defensive mishaps this season (though this argument would be stronger if the Yankees weren’t basically a nuclear powerhouse).
Why hasn’t he been around more this season?
His defense has definitely been a factor. During the London series, Mike Tauchman was called up over Frazier due to his defensive talent, despite Tauchman’s struggle at the plate in the majors at the time. The Yankees already have such a powerful lineup that they don’t really need to rely on Frazier’s bat to win games. Maintaining the lead and ensuring proper fielding was more important.
While this still rings true, Mike Tauchman has been doing significantly better at the plate as of late, slashing a .368/.444/.724 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with an OPS of 1.169 in the last 30 days. So if there were any doubts before, Tauchman is the better choice for left field right now.
When the Yankees acquired Edwin Encarnacion, it was at the expense of Frazier’s roster spot. While some were surprised, this move made the most sense, as Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge were scheduled to return later that week. Frazier would’ve been forced to a spot on the bench. He was better off in Scranton, where he could play every day and continue to improve.
Should the Yankees have traded Frazier at the deadline?
This depends on the offers, but I would have strongly considered it if I was in the Yankee’s front office. They already have a ton of depth and better defensive players. While I don’t see a future for Frazier in New York, Jay Bell (Manager of the Triple A team) has been playing Frazier in left, which may have an opening for the Yankees next season.
Regardless of whether he will be a consistent starter in the majors next year, Frazier will be called up in September, when he can offer further depth to help strengthen the lineup.
Clint Frazier is a great player and has the potential to really improve his skills, as long as he keeps a positive mindset. Once he improves his defense, he will be in a much better position for success.
Personally, I’d like to see him straighten out his defense and become a star player on another team that may prove to be a better fit for him. Right now on the Yankees, he is overshadowed and not really needed as much as he would be elsewhere. Working on his defensive technique in the minors might be necessary, but he is good enough to be able to sort out these issues in the majors at this point, especially considering his offensive potential. On another team, he would be an everyday starter due to his bat alone. I can see him being not only a huge offensive weapon, but also a consistent player and a potential fan favorite.