I know this isn't the most popular opinion, but I have a soft spot for Clint Frazier. I've written about it before and I think it would be great to see him back in the upcoming season. But right now, Frazier is in baseball limbo.
When spring training originally began, many Yankees still had injuries they needed to nurse back to health, giving Clint Frazier the chance to potentially take a spot in the outfield. However, since the season has been delayed because of COVID-19, many of our injured players such as Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, and Giancarlo Stanton were able to heal up. Now, Frazier is buried back under a number of other names that are more proven in the outfield position.
The first obstacle Frazier needs to overcome is a case of plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes, but it does not seem to be having too much of an effect on him according to Aaron Boone.
“Clint has had a little plantar fasciitis, but it really hasn’t held him back,. We have held him back in the early going of getting him out in the outfield,’’ Aaron Boone said on a Zoom call.
The next obstacle Frazier will face is going to try to get onto the 30-man roster, which will then dwindle down to a 26-man roster. With only a short amount of time of training left, he will have a precious amount of time to prove himself against Miguel Andujar most likely taking either left or right field.
Even if Frazier does earn a spot in the lineup and roster, keeping the spot is going to be another obstacle. Last season, he had many ups and downs, but the ups were really great. During the first 18 games of 2019, he had a .324/.342/.632 and six home runs. He helped the Yankees through a tough April and then ended up on the IL himself.
Lastly, Frazier needs to make sure he can keep his relationship with the media positive. When he was making all of his mistakes last season, Frazier refused to talk to the media and created a lot of tension which was just not a good look for the Yankees and for himself.
This season Frazier does not have time to afford a health setback or media tension. If Clint could get a chance to get hot this season, it would definitely make for some fun games. I hope that Yankees give him a chance to prove himself in the upcoming short season!
--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke
The media problems are the key.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, in my opinion, he's a flat out impact player, and a possible star. The Yanks should keep him.
Frazier vs Andujar? No argument, Miggy has proven himself to be a real Player.
But the Yanks should keep Frazier. And give him playing time. There defense? C'mon. There was ONE game. Two dropped balls. Yeah, yeah, it was Boston. But he made a stellar, highlight reel catch earlier in the game. And the kid's been working like a horse to get better.
Which brings us back to the key...