Clint Frazier returns to Yankee Stadium this weekend when the Cubs come to town for a three-game series – and if any of Yankees Universe reads the Chicago Sun-Times (or this website), he might have a few less friendly reactions if and when he plays.
In an interview with the Sun-Times this week, Frazier said he’s looking forward to seeing a lot of former teammates he’s still close with, but had this to say about his Yankees tenure:
"A lot of it is hard to really look at and understand where it went wrong at times."
Frazier was acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Andrew Miller deal in 2016, but over five-plus seasons in the organization, he never seemed to find his footing. Whether it was injuries (mainly the concussion that cost him a good chunk of time over two seasons), off-field shenanigans (whether or not the Mickey Mantle number snafu was true, his hair situation sure was), or just plain inconsistency (he hit .239 overall as a Yankee), he just never became the left fielder of the future.
The former is in the rear-view mirror, but in terms of the latter, he’s seeing a similar situation in Chicago: he’s just not getting the reps he feels he needs to break out.
“I didn’t play super-consistently a lot in New York,” Frazier said. “And it’s kind of trending that way here, where I’m having to be ready in the high-leverage situations in the eighth inning, pinch-hitting off guys who are throwing 1,000 miles per hour.”
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When it comes to the middle portion, Frazier echoed many who have left the Yankees in that he certainly doesn’t miss the “cookie-cutter” aspect of being part of the organization – comparing playing for the Yankees to playing for the White House.
“You had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that team, and if not, then you were, like, a really bad distraction, it seemed like. So I don’t miss being told how I had to look for the last five years,” said Frazier, who now sports a beard as seems to be required when a player leaves the Bronx. “I like it here, and certainly don’t miss some of the things over there. It seems like there’s a lot of guys in here that are just accepting of everyone, and it’s been really good for me.’’
Frazier is slashing .216/.356/.297 with one RBI in 19 games this season, and with Seiya Suzuki possibly returning this weekend, how much PT he gets this weekend remains to be seen. But, he’ll be ready if and when called upon.
“I’ve been feeling really good at the plate,” he said. “I’m really hoping I can get some more at-bats here soon because I want to play.”
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