It’s no question that the New York Yankees have one of the best outfields in all of Major League Baseball. With Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks, players behind them might feel that they’re totally buried without a chance.
Of course, everyone saw that with all the injuries in the 2019 season, that the Yankees had no option but to use their backups. But if those three guys are healthy, those replacement players will long await a starting spot.
Clint Frazier knows this feeling better than anyone else. He finally got his chance this season with the Yankees, where he played a total of 69 games – the most he’s ever played in the major leagues.
Frazier was regarded as one of the best young hitters in the lineup when he was controversially demoted to triple-A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders just a few months into the season. He was up there for a few months until the Yankees brought him back towards ending weeks of the season when they began giving the rest of their starters for the postseason.
With Frazier’s talent, it’s hard to believe he’s content with being a bench player. He knows what he’s capable of and definitely believes he should be a starting player – it just won’t happen with the Yankees. The Yankees outfield has too much depth. Even when Aaron Hicks is out, Brett Gardner is there. If Stanton is unavailable, Cameron Maybin is the Yankees go-to guy for left field. Also, don’t forget Mike Tauchman shocked the whole league with his play this season.
It’s not like the Yankees don’t know the talent Frazier has, and this article isn’t a knock on Frazier’s ability. He’s just buried in the Yankees organization and the club should trade him away for a quality starting pitcher.
Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner, Zack Wheeler, and Jake Odorizzi are all guys that are eligible for free agency for the 2020 season.
Despite how successful the New York Yankees were in the regular season, it’s no question that they lacked pitching. Even though that’s not entirely what costed them in the postseason, quality pitching wins championships.