Fast worker
Frazier making most of major opportunity
General manager Brian Cashman made it clear last week that despite Clint Frazier’s hot start to his career, the outfielder’s time in the majors is almost certain to be brief this time around.
Cashman said he would “send Frazier out” when Aaron Hicks returns to the Yankees’ lineup from a strained right oblique that has been slow to heal.
In the meantime, Frazier is making the most of his opportunity.
In 63 plate appearances entering Tuesday’s game against the Reds at Yankee Stadium, the 22-year-old has a .908 OPS and he has 11 extra-base hits in his first 16 games. The only Yankee with more to start his career was Joe DiMaggio, who had 13.
“He can’t control where he lands,” said Jeff Segars, who coached Frazier at Loganville High School outside of Atlanta. “He knows his place and where he is in the organization. But I knew no matter what, once he got a taste of the major leagues, he’s gonna want to get back.”
With Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge and Jacoby Ellsbury on the roster, there won’t be room for Frazier once Hicks gets back.
But Frazier has already shown why the Yankees were so high on him when they made him the centerpiece of the package they received from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade a year ago next week.
Frazier was promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus less than a week before the trade.
While with Akron, he played for Dave Wallace, who managed in the Indians’ system for six years. And Wallace said he isn’t surprised by Frazier’s fast start in The Bronx.
“He’s like another guy that played for me, Francisco Lindor,” said Wallace, now a special assignment coordinator for Cleveland. “They both have an ability to exceed expectations at whatever level they go to.”
Lindor has emerged as one of the top shortstops in the game. Frazier has a long way to go to match Lindor’s résumé, but Wallace saw some similarities.
“I look back on Francisco’s timeline and he said he was ready well before he got to the majors,’’ Wallace said. “You just think that’s a young player being confident, which is good. But maybe he really was ready and we didn’t know it. The same could be true with Clint. Sometimes we’re not 100 percent accurate and players adapt to a higher level right away. Guys like that are not common.”
The Yankees are counting on Frazier not being common — something he displayed in Sunday’s win in Seattle.
Wallace was watching when Frazier muscled a double down the left-field line for two RBIs in the sixth inning.
“Not many guys can not barrel a ball up and still have the strength to get it into the outfield like that,’’ Wallace said. “I’m sure Statcast didn’t love it, but it’s that kind of play that matters just as much as a 500-foot home run by [Aaron] Judge. It wasn’t very sexy, but it looked good in the box score.”
It’s the kind of thing Wallace witnessed consistently when he managed Frazier.
“You can’t not see it,” Wallace said. “The strength, the speed, the path of his swing. It probably doesn’t stand out next to Judge the same way it did here, but it’s different than most. I don’t know if he’s ready to be a core guy yet, but he’s in a great situation with that lineup. He doesn’t have to be. Hopefully, he’ll evolve into that.”
He just might need to go back to the minors before that happens — a step back that Frazier isn’t accustomed to.
“He was a four-year varsity player and he would have been a five-year varsity player if I could have done it,” Segars said. “But he told me when he was first called up it was probably short-term because of the injuries. I’m thankful — but not surprised — he’s come out of the gate strong. He’s always risen to the challenge and this is just the latest example. He’s making them remember him.”