
A Few Marks of Distinction
The age difference cuts both ways, though: Florial’s youth and inexperience make him more of a risk to ever develop into an MLB player while Frazier is apparently on the cusp.
While Clint was performing in Scranton and the Bronx, Estevan spent his season mostly at Low-A Charleston, before finishing his final 19 games at High-A Tampa. His collective line of .298/.372/.479 with 13 home runs and 23 doubles can only be appreciated in context, however.
He was named not only a Mid-Season All-Star–and to the Future’s Game–but also a Post-Season All-Star. Florial was ultimately selected as the Most Outstanding Major League Prospect in the Sally League, as well as an MiLB.com Yankees Organization All-Star for the year.
That prompted the Yankees to send him to the Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the All-Prospect team.
Florial is indeed farther away. His potential, though, seems even higher than that of Frazier. In common parlance, this kid has superstar written all over him.
And On His Wallet
Here, as Randy Miller and NJ.com make clear, observers are gushing, and rushing to say so:
"Boone loves imagining what Florial, a five-tool center fielder prospect who hits from the left side, can become once he has another year or two to develop. “You guys have heard me talk about him in glowing terms,” Boone said…"
And this from Eric Boland’s fine article for Newsday:
"“Athletically,” one opposing team scout said, “he reminds me of a combination of Ken Griffey Jr. and Deion Sanders. Again, that’s athletically. Not projecting that for him, but the skill set is something.” Another rival talent evaluator wouldn’t quite call Florial a five-tool prospect but said he’s “probably as close as I’ve got to it. He could be a game-changer. He’s so young, too.”"
Impressive. But potential and five dollars still just gets you a small Caffe Mocha at Starbucks. If the Yankees ship Frazier out, and Florial never fully develop, they will have, pejoratively speaking, killed two birds with one stone.
However, this article would be superfluous if Clint Frazier were the better of the two, where the Yankees could groom him for another year in the minors. Next year, they could promote Frazier and trade Florial once he was fully ripened.
But he is not. And for two good reasons, the second more penetrating than the first.