The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Frazier all smiles for his debut in Cleveland
Clint Frazier got to Progressive Field on Aug. 3 as a big-league player.
That he did so in the gray road uniform of the New York Yankees rather than in the home white uniform of the Indians did not diminish the moment for the 22-year-old Georgia native.
Frazier, the Indians’ firstround pick in the June 2013 draft, was the prized prospect shipped to the Yankees on July 31, 2016 in the deal that brought relief pitcher Andrew Miller to the Indians.
Sitting in the visitors dugout on Aug. 3, before the Yankees and Indians opened a four-game series, Frazier smiled when asked how it felt to be on the verge of realizing his goal to play at Progressive Field.
“I spent a lot of my professional career in their minor-league system, envisioning myself playing alongside a lot of guys who are here now,” Frazier said. “Now the tables have turned and I’m getting to play against them. I’m excited.”
Frazier cited his days as an Indians’ minor-league player when discussing the feelings about making it to Cleveland’s premier baseball stage.
“Every day, the goal was to get promoted to the next level. This was the ultimate goal when I was with the (Cleveland) organization,” he said. “Being so close, with the teams they have here in Lake County and Akron, it was a really close feel and something I was always looking forward to in the back of my head. I envisioned Bradley (Zimmer) and a couple of other guys out there on the field at the same time.”
Zimmer was the Indians No. 1 pick in the June 2014 draft out of the University of San Francisco. Also a highly-prized outfield prospect, Zimmer was promoted to the full-season Single-A Captains at the tail end of the 2014 season. That made him Frazier’s teammate on a Lake County team that made a late push for the playoffs and advanced to the Midwest League championship series.
They were teammates again in 2015 at advanced Single-A Lynchburg and in 2016 for Double-A Akron and, briefly, for Triple-A Columbus before the Indians sent Frazier to the Yankees along with pitchers Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.
“I didn’t expect to get traded, but it’s part of the game and part of the process of being a player,” Frazier said. “I’m really excited to be here and fortunate to have a group of guys in that locker room who I get to call my teammates every day.”
Zimmer, 24, made his big-league debut with the Indians on May 16. Going into the series opener against the Yankees, he was batting .288 with eight home runs and 37 RBI. He also has earned raves for his play in center field, including one from his former minor-league teammate.
“He seems like he’s making a ‘SportsCenter Top 10’ catch every night,” Frazier said. “We text every now and then. I haven’t seen him since the day I got traded, so it will be a fun time to catch up with him and see how he’s been doing.”
Frazier earned a promotion to the Yankees on July 1 from Triple-A ScrantonWilkes Barre. He came to Cleveland batting .255 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 24 games.
“The guys in the clubhouse have done a really good job making me feel super comfortable up here getting my first taste of the big leagues,” Frazier said.
Frazier acknowledged paying close attention to how well Miller pitched last season for the Indians, particularly during a postseason run that didn’t end until the Cubs beat the Indians n Game 7 of the World Series.
“Andrew put a lot of pressure on me,” Frazier said, smiling. “His performance was about as good as you can be in the playoffs. That made me feel I had to live up to him. He had shoes he was filling and I had shoes I had to fill myself. I had to realize I’m Clint, not Andrew. It let you know the Yankees were thinking highly of me to trade me for a guy like him.”
Indians manager Terry Francona remembered Frazier as a “really talented” prospect but said there are no regrets about including him in the trade-deadline deal.
“You don’t trade for Andrew Miller and think you’ll sneak three guys in there to get him,” Francona said.
Nick Swisher, who played for the Indians and Yankees during a big-league career spanning 12 seasons, heaped praise on Frazier in an essay posted Aug. 3 on The Players Tribune website. “This kid’s a beast...just a monster,” Swisher wrote. “And there’s so much to love about him. He’s got all five tools. The guy’s built like a Greek god. And his nickname...Red Thunder, I mean...is that the perfect nickname for that dude or what?
The moment Frazier eagerly anticipated came at 7:14 p.m. With one out in the top of the first inning, he stepped into the batter’s box at Progressive Field and received a smattering of applause from the fans. Indians starter Corey Kluber made short work of Frazier, striking him out.