Frazier: I’m hair to stay in pinstripes

TAMPA — Clint Frazier’s short hair is here to stay. And he hopes to remain in the Bronx for a long time, too. “I want to be here,” said Frazier, whose name surfaced in the Yankees’ trade talks with the Pirates about Gerrit Cole, who ultimately ended up in Houston. “And I’ve let it be known that I want to be here (on Twitter). I wanted to let people know that I want to be part of this group. I don’t want to get beat by this group. I don’t want to play against this team. I want to play with this team.” Frazier’s future, though, remains uncertain. The Bombers already have Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury for outfield depth. So, barring injury, it’s hard to see where Frazier fits on the 2018 roster. He could always be a trade chip for a pitcher down the line. “I think it would be disappointing,” said Frazier when asked about the possibility of not making the team out of spring training. “But my eyes are not set on Triple-A. Obviously if it happens with Triple-A then I’ll be disappointed, but I think the people around here are excited for everyone here so I’m trying to keep them excited for me.”

Frazier had an up-and-down cameo with the Yankees in 2017. In 39 games, he posted a .715 OPS, at times showing the “legendary bat speed” Brian Cashman has said he possesses. But there was all the other stuff too, like Frazier’s long hair becoming a controversy last spring, which led to questions about his maturity.

“I actually cut my hair once a week in the offseason, so I enjoy how it looks right now,” Frazier said. “So we’re not going to have any stories with that, but I needed to go through that. I needed to get my feet wet in a sense and see things that I do can cause distractions not only for myself but for the team. And just grow overall as a person.” Frazier was asked about all the offseason rumors. “Honestly, I didn’t follow it too much but if I wanted to stir up some fun (on Twitter) I acted like I followed it more. I don’t worry about it,” he said. “The way I put it the other day was until someone wants to attach their name next to the source I’m not going to read into it too much.”

For now, he’s going to do his best in pinstripes, and told Aaron Boone he’d be willing to play anywhere in the outfield — even center, which he played the majority of the time in high school and in the minors.

Overall, Frazier said, “I’m going in trying to win a spot. That’s the mentality that I’ve had and should have going forward.”