The New York Yankees have been red-hot as of late, and red-lightning, Clint Frazier, has led the charge on a seven-game away win streak that ended on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals.
Frazier has been a monster at the plate, hitting an impressive .284 over 134 at-bats including 10 home runs and 28 RBIs. His lightning-quick bat has been the winning factor for the outfielder, however, his defense has been his downfall.
Frazier has already picked up two errors and has a .944 fielding rate, one of the lowest in the league. To put that into perspective, the Seattle Mariners have the worst combined fielding rate at .971, which makes Frazier’s look that much worse. Brett Gardner, who’s been moving around the outfield, has earned a .990 fielding rate, far superior to Fraziers.
The bottom line, the quick bat needs to work on his defense if he wishes to take his overall game to the next level, but starting with an electric back certainly helps.
How have the New York Yankees countered his problems in the outfield?
One way the Yankees have limited his defensive mishaps is by pulling him early during games. Manager Aaron Boone took Frazier out of the game in the sixth inning on Monday afternoon to mitigate the potential for a mistake. Boone plugged Cameron Maybin in for his speed and defensive attributes.
“It’s just a situation where you’re just trying to put the best defense on the field in a game that you have a lead,†Boone said after the Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Padres at the Stadium.
The Yankees are working with Clint to correct the issue that has plagued him throughout the season, and Boone believes it’s a lack of confidence rather than deficiency.
“There’s room for improvement out there, and I’m working hard, and I’m trying to fix some things that shouldn’t happen that keep happening,†Frazier said. “I’m just trying to target the confidence that I have at the plate, and take it out there into the outfield.â€
Hopefully, he will elevate the defensive part of his game and become a well-rounded player, something the Yankees desperately need with the injuries piling up and fatigue surely setting in over the course of the season.