The New York Yankees had a revolving door at multiple positions in 2020, one of them being left field. When general manager Brian Cashman acquired Giancarlo Stanton, the hopes were that he would offer a top bat in the MLB but also defensive quality. Since multiple injuries have derailed his career in pinstripes, Stanton has been permanently installed at the designated hitter spot.
With Stanton earning $29 million per year, his value is underwhelming, having played in just 41 games over the past two seasons. Leftfield is open for the taking, and rising player Clint Frazier is hoping he can cement the spot for years to come.
The Yankees’ outfielder bled confidence that he can hold down a starting spot:
“It’s a little different because I feel really good about my position going forward. At the end of the day, left field has been a few different people’s position the last few years,’’ Frazier said on YES’ “Hot Stove†program Monday night. “One week, it was [Brett Gardner], one week it was [Mike] Tauchman, one week it was me, and it was supposed to be [Giancarlo] Stanton when he [was acquired]. There are a lot of people who haven’t held it down, and I am hoping I am going to be able to hold it down. Obviously, Gardy played it 10-plus years, but I am talking recently. He played more in the playoffs than I did, and it was all based on performance. I know performance does matter. I am going to have to go into spring training and have a good spring training and, obviously, have a good season to continue to secure those reps.’’
Frazier had himself an impressive 2020 campaign, playing in 39 games and recording a .267 batting average and a career-high 15.6% walk rate. He hit eight homers and 26 RBIs, stealing three bases as well. The one category he needs to improve in is strikeout rate, striking out 27.5% of the time. His offense was stellar, but his defense was the biggest surprise.
Frazier spoke about his biggest improvement compared to 2019:
“I would say the defense because of where it went from the year before,’’ Frazier said. “The defense was surprising to a lot of people, which was cool to see.’’
After posting a .963 fielding percentage with three errors in 2019, Frazier was a Gold Glove finalist in the outfield this past season. He logged a .984 fielding percentage with just one error over 280 innings. He was fantastic playing in multiple spots, proving he can be an everyday defensive player as well as an offensive threat.
I believe left field is one position the Yankees don’t need to worry about moving forward, as their 26-year-old speed bat is finally finding his sea legs in the MLB.