MASQUERADE BALL!
As Judge sits with lower body tightness, Clint goes undercover to power Yanks by Braves
All Clint Frazier wanted was a chance. Wednesday night, when he got one, the Yankees controversial outfielder made the most of it. The Frazier finished a triple-shy of the cycle in the Bombers' 6-3 win over the Braves at Yankees Stadium.
The Yankees (12-6) swept the two-game series against the Braves (11-9) and have a day off before the Red Sox come into the Bronx to continue their season-longest nine-game homestand.
DJ LeMahieu continued to rake, going 4 for 5 with a triple, scored two runs and drove in another. Luke Voit doubled twice, also driving in a run, Gary Sanchez hit his second home run of the season, and Gleyber Torres got an RBI-single, his first RBI since July 26.
But Wednesday night, in the empty ballpark in the Bronx, it was Frazier's night to prove himself.
“I feel like I'm ready,” Frazier said before Wednesday night's game. “I think there's a lot of people that feel that way too, but there's a lot of guys in front of me and it's just, it's been frustrating,” Frazier said. “That's the the one way to sum it up is I, I feel like I'm ready and I'm hoping that I can make the most of an opportunity if it comes it's it's hard to, to make the most of something if you're not given that chance and I'm, I would like that chance.”
For one night, at least, Frazier went out and backed that up.
That chance came Wednesday when, after Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the injured list over the weekend, Aaron Judge was sidelined with a vague “lower body tightness.”
In his first at-bat of the season, Frazier hit a home run to the visitors' bullpen in left-center field. In his second at-bat, he hit a two-out single. In his third he doubled with one out and scored on LeMahieu's single.
That was a dis- play of the “lightning quick,” bat speed that made Frazier a top prospect when the Yankees traded for him in 2016.
He's at a critical point in his career where the Yankees need to figure out what role he will play in the future. He's out of options after this season, so they have until the end of spring training to figure out if he's a future Yankee outfielder.
In 123 big league games (393 at-bats) the right-handed hitter, who Cashman said had “legendary bat speed'' following the trade, has a .254 average with 16 homers, 56 RBIs and a .771 OPS. Most teams and talent evaluators use 1,500 bats to establish a big-league baseline. In a turbulent 2019, Frazier showed he could carry an offense at times — in April and June — and he could be beaten by his own lack of discipline (a barely
acceptable 28.5% walk rate is a red flag).
Scouts who saw him this spring noticed a more mature approach at the plate.
Just as important to Aaron Boone was that he noticed a more matureFrazier on and off the field than the player who was a distraction on the field with his poor defense or in the clubhouse.
“For a guy that's been on that, up and down train a little bit the last couple of years, understanding the kind of blow that could be, to see the way he responded to it, knowing he was disappointed and frustrated, to see him get down there the next day and start working and see the quality of work he was putting in while he was down there, I don't want to be trite, but I'm really proud of how he's handled it and the pro that he's been.
“He's put himself in a great position to earn this opportunity again here and I'm looking forward to seeing him go out there and contribute.” Boone said.
Wednesday he did that, but with a crowded outfield that has Judge, Hicks, Mike Tauchman and Gardner, Frazier is still not sure where his role will be going forward.