Clint Frazier hasn’t been able to showcase his talents at the major league level on a regular basis. The ample production the Yankees have received from their core outfield group has precluded that.
So, could the 23-year-old rookie be moved by New York before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline?
A few teams hope so.
But Frazier isn’t heeding the buzz and speculation.
“I feel like I’ve done a good job in dealing with the up and down, going from the big leagues to the minor leagues, dealing with the trade rumors, dealing with my concussion,” Frazier told NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty on Friday at Progressive Field. “I feel like I’d be putting myself in a disadvantage if I try to think too much about what’s going on. I haven’t paid much attention to it.”
Frazier knows firsthand that trade negotiations are out of his control. Back in July 2016, the Cleveland Indians dealt Frazier and 22-year-old left-hander Justus Sheffield to the Yankees in exchange for southpaw reliever Andrew Miller. According to MLBPipeline, Frazier was a Top-100 prospect at the time, ranked No. 15 overall.
Now, he’s sitting on the Yankees’ bench with an undetermined role. Frazier could return to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’s hit .312 with 14 doubles, three triples, 10 home runs, and 21 RBI in 47 games this season. But Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has insisted that Frazier belongs in the majors, despite the pickles he’s currently in.
“We’re lucky to have him. He’s getting better. He’s a toolbox that, every year since we’ve got him, he’s exponentially improved,” Cashman told NBC New York’s Bruce Beck in late June. “Over time, there very well could be [a place for Frazier to play regularly], and we’d like to hold onto him. I know he’s someone that we’re going to get asked a lot about, and so far we’ve been able to say no and hand check everything.
“But I’m a big Clint Frazier fan. He was a big piece of that trade of Andrew Miller, along with some others. And I think he’s got a lot of really good baseball ahead of him. So, he’s going about his business perfectly right now. He’s impacting us in a positive way and saying all the right things. But it’s got to be frustrating for a talented player like that to be obviously at times not playing at the major league level or stuck at Triple-A.”
In the meantime, Frazier will go about his business unperturbed, according to NJ.com.
“My biggest thing is, until somebody comes out and names themselves, I’m not worried [about reports without reputable sources],” he said. “Because they obviously shouldn’t be saying what they’re saying. So, I just don’t put too much emphasis on it if someone won’t attach their name to it, because I don’t understand it.”
If you want to connect with Tom Hanslin, email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @tomhanslin.
