It looks like the New York Yankees’ Clint Frazier has finally earned his place in the Yankee lineup. Bryan Hoch who covers the Yankees for MLB.com, reported on Twitter:
How will Judge/Stanton coming back affect Clint Frazier?
“I think Clint is very much in this mix,†Boone said. “It may mean more left-field reps for Clint, but Clint has earned his way into our lineup on a regular basis.”
Clint Frazier has tried to earn his spot with the Yankees since 2017, and 150 games for the Yankees. No matter how hard he tried, his fielding has held him back. Frazier known for his quick bat has always hit well, showing signs at times of stardom, his fielding, and attitude, at times kept him being sent back and forth on the Scranton shuttle. But this year, with all the Yankee injuries he was called up. It all started in summer camp when Frazier proclaimed he would wear a mask all season to protect his fellow players. A new maturity was exhibited. Frazier did well in well in spring training and summer camp but still was not in the starting lineup.
When he was finally called up to replace the injured Aaron Judge, a new Clint Frazier appeared in the outfield at Yankee Stadium, I guy with improved footwork, and a guy that made flying catch after flying catch, often slamming his body to the sod to make a play.
On the hitting side of the game “Red Thunder” has a .270 batting average with 5 home runs and an amazing .900 OPS. These factors have led New York Yankees Aaron Boone, to believe, he now deserves to be a regular playing Yankee.
Frazier’s big break came in July of 2016 when the Indians traded Clint to the Yankees in a multi-trade that got the Indians, Andrew Miller. Clint was assigned the triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders. In 2017, Clint played in 73 games for the Rail Riders amassed 42 RBI’s, a batting average of .257 with 12 home runs. The reason he played only 73 games is that he was called up to the stadium on July 1st of 2017. Big Red or Red Thunder as he is called, enamored himself to Yankee fans on July 8th, when hit his first career walk-off home run, giving the Yankees a win over the Brewers.
This year in spring training and the delayed summer camp, a new more mature Clint Frazier had appeared. He played well behind the plate and in the field during the training camps. After baseball restarted after the coronavirus shutdown, Frazier was the only player that elected to play in the field and at-bat with the use of a face mask. When interviewed he stated that it wasn’t a problem, he was wearing the mask to protect his fellow players.
But even that new maturity, it didn’t help Frazier. When the New York Yankees announced their 40 man roster at the beginning of the season, Frazier found himself back at Scranton. Giancarlo Stanton injured a hamstring running the bases at Tampa. The New York Yankees in a somewhat puzzling move called up Thairo Estrada instead of the obvious left field replacement, Clint Frazier. In this shortened season, Yankee and Clint Frazier fans are wondered if he will see major league action this year. With almost any other team he would be hitting third or fourth in their lineup, but with the Yankees, he continued to sit and wait for another chance at Yankee stardom.
When Aaron Judge pulled a calf after a game at Tropicana Field, Estrada was sent back down and Clint Frazier was called up. His excellent play in the field, and his ability to get on base, has earned the trust of manager Boone, and now it appears that he has finally found his place on the team.