Clint’s Time to Shine

The year is 2016 and Top Prospect Clint Frazier is on a fast track to the Cleveland Indians big league roster. A former 1st round pick in 2013, with flowing red hair and a big attitude now all of a sudden would be on the move. A trade deadline deal between Cleveland and the Yankees would send both Frazier and Justus Sheffield to the Yankees in exchange for the towering lefty, Andrew Miller. Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield would become the Yankees No. 1 and No. 7 in the Yankees system. Unfortunately for Clint, begin the No. 1 prospect would prove to be unremarkable. Clint Frazier would be blocked by Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton for the foreseeable future.

The Yankees have toyed with Clint Frazier since acquiring him. He has been called up and sent down multiple times a year for multiple seasons. His name has been involved in trade talks for the past two seasons and he just hasn't had a position to call his own. The Yankees were unshakeable; Brett Gardner was going to be their guy in left. Even injuries to the other three Yankee outfielders didn't grant Clint Frazier solid playing time. It had people like me scratching my head. Why would the Yankees play veteran Brett Gardner instead of a young stud who goes by Red Thunder? Well, maybe because of the fact he goes by Red Thunder. Jokes aside, the move did confuse me. But nonetheless, Brett Gardner has been more than serviceable for the Yankees.

Finally, in a shortened 2020 season, Clint Frazier began to see regular playing time. In 39 games the 25-year-old hit .267/.394/.511 with 8 home runs and 6 doubles. He even was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award. Even on the big stage, Frazier proved he could perform, hitting a mammoth home run in game one of the ALDS to put the Yankees ahead of the Rays.

It appears that now in 2021, 4 years after his major league appearance, Clint Frazier will be the New York Yankees starting left fielder. Both manager, Aaron Boone and general manager, Brain Cashman have acknowledged that Frazier will be getting the majority of the playing time in left field. At first, it seemed as though the Yankees may let Brett Gardner walk, fully opening the door for Frazier. Ultimately, they ended up signing the veteran left fielder to a two-year $5.15 million contract. This didn't seem to change Cashman or Boone's mind, however. Expect to see both Gardner and Frazier share time in the outfield but definitely expect the majority of time to be given to Clint Frazier.

Frazier deserves the playing time and a shot at the starting role. He has earned it. MLB fans may be quick to say that Frazier is a liability in the outfield. At one point this narrative was true. However, from 2019 to 2020 Frazier improved his defensive runs saved (DRS) from -6 to +4. Hence the Gold Glove Award nod. Over years of being with the Yankees, Clint's instincts became better. He created a better first step or jump which led to more routine plays being made as well as some above-average plays. Revised Zone Rating (RZR) is "the proportion of balls hit into a fielder's zone that he successfully converted into an out." In 2019, Frazier had an RZR of .778. That is regarded as a fairly poor rating. Conversely, in 2020 Frazier improved his RZR to .1000. Of course, this season was shortened, and Frazier only played 39 games but, he went 28-28 for balls hit into his "zone." A deeper dive into Statcast and BaseballSavant will back up the fact that Clint Frazier is no longer a liability in the outfield.

Clint Frazier has also proven he can handle the bat. I believe his ability to hit the ball with authority is what led to his nickname, "Red Thunder." In 2020, Clint Frazier changed his swing up. He abandoned his big leg kick and moved towards a quieter slide step. This led to Frazier being more efficient with his swing as well as allowing him to see the ball deeper. Seeing the ball deep is big for Red Thunder. When referring to Frazier, scouts have always said he has "legendary bat speed." Seeing the ball deep plus bat speed almost always equals triumph. The change in Clint Frazier's swing is a big part of his success in the 2020 campaign. I fully expect to see Frazier take more forward strides in 2021.

Clint Frazier has made impressive improvements to the way he plays the game. Both his manager, general manager, and veteran outfielder support the decision to have him see the majority of time in left field. After an impressive 2020 season with some shining moments, there is no reason why Frazier's success won't roll into the next season. Not only has he made improvements in his game, but he has cleaned up his act off the field as well. Over the offseason, Frazier took to Instagram to credit his girlfriend for turning him into "new york's best behaved."

Clint Frazier is giving credit to his girlfriend for transforming him "from New York's bad boy to now New York's best behaved"pic.twitter.com/HSBIXUqrg6-- Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks)November 18, 2020

Clint Frazier is giving credit to his girlfriend for transforming him "from New York's bad boy to now New York's best behaved"pic.twitter.com/HSBIXUqrg6

Manager, Aaron Boone approved of the post giving it a like. While cleaning up his act, it still seems as though Frazier can still have fun. When playing he is flashy. He bat flips and is stylish. Before games and constantly through the offseason he would take to social media to show off his new custom cleats or impressive sneaker collection. Much like the NBA's stars, Frazier supports gameday fits. He is right up there with Marcus Stroman and Fernando Tatis Jr. as one of the most stylish players of the game. In my opinion, this shows Frazier isn't afraid to put himself out there. It's what the game needs and aside from Mike Trout, it's what a player needs to do to separate himself from star to superstar.

There is no doubt in my mind that Clint Frazier has what it takes to be a superstar in Major League Baseball. He isn't going anywhere; the trade talks are over. It is Clint Frazier's time to shine in the Bronx.