HARVEY IS PAST FAILURE:
Frazier thinks Amazin’ things are possible for staff & self
PORT ST. LUCIE — Todd Frazier has an image of Mets’ pitching at its overpowering best that has stayed with him since September of 2015, when Matt Harvey and friends stormed into Cincinnati and swept the Reds over four games as part of a divisionclinching weekend.
Properly wowed by the power arms, Frazier at the time predicted a big October for the newlycrowned NL East champs. On Monday he smiled when reminded of his tout.
“I called them the team to beat,” he said. “That pitching was so good. They should have won it all too.”
Obviously a lot has happened since then, more bad than good for the starting rotation, but as a newcomer Frazier still sees those arms as the golden ticket
“That great pitching is still here, and now, to be a part of it, it gives me goose bumps a little bit, man,” Frazier said in the locker room on Monday. “It fires you up because you know what we’re capable of doing, what we have here.
“I’ve taken live BP against them here, and it’s a lot of what I remember. They’re a little older now, and they understand what they’re capable of doing, what they need to prove.
“In baseball it’s always what have you done for me lately, and I think these guys want to be the best. Being here I feel it, and it’s something everybody wants to build off.”
It’s way too early to know if that feeling will translate to results, but Harvey got through three scoreless innings against the Tigers on Monday despite struggling with command, and his early spring certainly offers reason for optimism.
Harvey’s fastball was mostly in the 93-94 mph range and didn’t produce any swings-and-misses, but he used his 80-mph curve ball to keep the Tigers’ hitters off-balance and gets big outs, including his only strikeout. In his two starts, then, Harvey has offered reason to believe he can at least get back to being a reliable starter, and for these Mets that might be good enough.
Steven Matz is a concern after two poor outings, but the starting rotation may not have to get back to that 2015 level as long as Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard are as overpowering at the top as expected.
In any case, it’s no surprise that Frazier has high expectations. He oozes with confidence, a quality that fit nicely with the Yankees during his three months there last year, including the October postseason run.
And now, after settling for less of a free-agent haul than he expected, signing with the Mets in February for two years and $17 million, Frazier seems determined to prove that teams underestimated his value.
“It’s like I’ve been telling people,” he said, “you’re going to get the best Todd Frazier you’ve seen in a long time. I’m working my butt off to get where I want to be.”
Mostly that means putting up better numbers offensively. Though Frazier’s batting average has slipped from his high of .273 in 2014 to .225 and .213 the last two seasons, his 83 walks last season led to a career-high .344 onbase percentage, which he says signals a change in him as a hitter.
That is, he admits he got caught up trying to hit home runs, especially in 2016 when he hit 40 with the White Sox, but says he has gradually learned to become a more disciplined hitter, in part by choking up on the bat last year.
“That gave me more control,” he said. “And I started getting my foot down earlier (on his stride) so I can recognize the spin and give myself more time before committing.
“I’ve been known as a guy who will chase pitches out of the zone. So I got better at not necessarily guessing, but doing that homework and understanding what pitchers are trying to do to get you out. And looking for pitches you can dominate.
“Last year I improved on the walks, the on-base percentage, and I think I can mix everything in this year and get the average up around .275 again. I know I can do that.
“Sometimes, depending how you’re feeling at the plate that day, it might mean taking a two-strike approach from an 0-0 count and making sure you put the ball in play.”
Don’t worry, Frazier seems to say with a look, he’s not turning into a slap hitter. He’s still thinking 30 home runs, but he wants to do more.
“Singles work too,” he said with a laugh. “The home runs will definitely come but taking three singles sometimes isn’t bad either.”
For Frazier it’s all about doing what it takes to win — always has been since his famed New Jersey Little League days.
Talk to him long enough, in fact, and you come away believing there is no stopping these Mets this season. Frazier feels that strongly about what he calls “an all-business vibe” he senses from a team with so much to prove.
He was right about where the starting pitching could take the Mets once before. Could he be right again?