New York Yankees’ right-fielder Clint Frazier has been up and down from triple-A to the big leagues several times over the past few years. This should never happen again.
There’s an argument about last season and why Frazier was sent down. However, it’s clear that the 25-year-old has made some major changes to his game and has proven he should always be on the big league roster.
Frazier has played in 16 games so far this season and is currently batting .294 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in. Compared to last season, it’s evident that Frazier is having better and more competitive at-bats. According to FanGraphs, Frazier’s 0-Swing% (percentage of pitches a batter at swings outside the zone) has dropped from 25.0% to 20.8% from last season to this year. His Z-Contact% (percentage of times a batter makes contact with the ball when swinging at pitches inside the zone) increased from 82.7% to 89.7%.
Another thing to note about Frazier’s at-bats is he’s having fewer swing-and-misses. His outs all seem to be hard hit balls, rather than weak contact. This is because of how he swings the bat. Take a look:
Describe Clint Frazier’s swing in one word pic.twitter.com/eAHoim6PlU
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) August 13, 2020
He limited his load this season which makes his swing shorter. Frazier has enough raw power that he doesn’t need a big load to hit the ball a long way. Limiting his movement before the pitch is delivered allows him to adjust if needed. His barrel is in the zone for so long and his quick hands are a reason why he has a ton of hard contact.
There is also a clear difference with Frazier’s defense this season. Everyone remembers the Red Sox game last year where he botched three balls, which was also streamed on ESPN for Sunday Night Baseball. This season, it’s evident that Frazier wants a different reputation in right field.
I'd say Clint Frazier's defense in the outfield has certainly improvedpic.twitter.com/9TmY42MRP0
— A.J. Herrmann (@AJ__Herrmann) September 2, 2020
There is no reason why Frazier should ever be sent down to the alternate site this season. Even if he’s not a starter, he’s a great option off the bench for a pitch hit position or an offensive adjustment. Let’s be real, Frazier would start on 25/30 of the MLB teams, so there’s no reason to keep him down.