Part 7 in a series analyzing the New York Yankees This coming July marks the fourth anniversary of the Yankees and Indians making a trade the former looked toward the future and the latter focused on the present. Searching for bullpen help, the Tribe acquired lefty reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees for outfielder Clint …
Part 7 in a series analyzing the New York Yankees
This coming July marks the fourth anniversary of the Yankees and Indians making a trade the former looked toward the future and the latter focused on the present.
Searching for bullpen help, the Tribe acquired lefty reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees for outfielder Clint Frazier, lefty starter Justus Sheffield and right-handers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen on July 31, 2016.
Miller, then 31, helped the Indians reach the World Series where they lost to the Cubs. At the time of the deal, the Yankees were excited about getting Frazier and Sheffield with thoughts of them developing into big league contributors.
Sheffield was used to get lefty James Paxton from the Mariners after the 2018 season and Frazier, for numerous reasons, hasn’t found traction in the big leagues in parts of three seasons.
Had this season started on March 26 there was a good chance the 25-year-old, who was the fifth pick in the 2013 draft by the Indians, would have not only made the Opening Day roster but likely be the starting left fielder with Giancarlo Stanton not expected to be ready because of a calf injury.
Because of the coronavirus, nobody knows when or if the 2020 season will begin. And while Stanton said recently he will be ready to go when it starts, Frazier will likely be part of the Yankees’ varsity due to expanded rosters.
So what do the Yankees have in Frazier? In 123 big league games (393 at-bats) the right-handed hitter, who GM Brian Cashman said had “legendary bat speed’’ following the trade, has a .254 average with 16 homers, 56 RBIs and a .771 OPS.
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If you use 1,500 big league at-bats as a measuring stick of what a hitter will be, Frazier has a ways to go before a true evaluation can be made.
A serious spring training concussion in 2018 limited him to 15 big league games and 54 in the minors that year and impacted his outfield defense. The long red hair he arrived with for camp in 2017 created a stir. Misplaying three balls in right field on June 2 last year against the Red Sox on national television drew attention to his defensive deficiencies.
There were signs in spring training this year that Frazier was no longer a magnet for criticism. And there was the bat that scouts remain high on even though Frazier hasn’t played in more than 69 games in a big league season, which he did last season.
He made off-season adjustments to get his lower body working better at the plate.
“I have always been impressed with his bat speed,’’ a scout said of Frazier’s biggest tool. “He has always been a very good low-ball hitter with legit power. There is offensive potential there but concerns about his defense. Can he become an above-average big leaguer? Yes. Let’s look back in 10 years and remember defense is an important part of the game.’’
Where Frazier fits even with expanded rosters isn’t a lock.
Miguel Andujar and Stanton could get time in left field and DH so those avenues are clogged. If Aaron Judge isn’t ready to play, Frazier could platoon with the left-handed hitting Mike Tauchman in right.
Approaching the fourth anniversary of the deal which team got the better of it? What Frazier does going forward will go a long way to answering that question.
