Versatility
The more a player can do, the more value a guy like Frazier has to any team. Especially a Hurdle managed team.
So far, Frazier has played both second and third base, to go along with both corner outfield spots. Defensively he is major league ready as Frazier has yet to make an error. He has proven to be a guy that Hurdle is comfortable inserting into the lineup anywhere at any point in the game.
He’s also played shortstop and center field in the minors and Frazier’s skill set defensively could even make a guy like Sean Rodriguez expendable in the offseason. While I do like that Rodriguez can play first base as well and is having a very good season, you wonder how many utility players the Pirates may want to keep on the bench in the future.
Frazier’s versatility gives him a leg up on making the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Opening Day roster next season.
Bat has played better than expected
Perhaps the biggest thing that separates Frazier from the rest of the competition for roster spots is that his bat has played nicely so far at the major league level.
In his first season at Triple-A Indianapolis, Frazier was hitting .333/.401/.425 prior to his promotion. He’s carried that momentum to the big league level, slashing .311/.344/.492 to start his career. While he has had only 64 plate appearances, which is an extremely small sample size, there has been a lot to like about Frazier’s approach.
The biggest thing is Frazier puts the bat on the ball. At 13 percent, his strike out rate has been below the MLB average of 21 percent, which is a positive. Again, small sample size, but Frazier doesn’t appear to be overmatched by MLB pitching.
There are other metrics that also make Frazier’s brief call up look nice.
A .353 BABP is above the MLB average of .299. When Frazier has made contact, generally good things have happened. Thrown in other outliers like a .344 OBP and a .356 wOBA, which are also well above the MLB average and there’s reason to be excited about Frazier in such a short time. The biggest thing is that a guy like Frazier has shown that he will hit the ball to all fields, which is usually big in avoiding lengthy slumps.
He’s only pulled the ball 28.8 percent of the time thus far and only 11.5 percent of his contact has been deemed soft contact. A guy that shows he puts the bat on the ball and hits it hard to all fields is someone that should be sticking around.
It’s early so you can’t get too excited about the numbers, but there has been plenty to like about Frazier in the early going.
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