New York Yankees: for Clint Frazier it’s now or never

The New York Yankees have been patient with OF Clint Frazier. In 2020, however, the kid will finally get a legit shot. Will he rise to the occasion or not?

When it was announced that center fielder Aaron Hicks was going to miss a big chunk of the 2020 season, the New York Yankees front office scrambled to find reinforcements. Soon after, they secured veteran outfielder Brett Gardner for another season.

As we all know, however, that’s just not enough. Gardy can certainly man center field for a spell, but can Giancarlo Stanton, a suboptimal option in left field, be an everyday option in the outfield?

That’s where Clint Frazier enters the picture.

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Last season, “Red Thunder” proved that he can hit at a big-league level. In 69 games, he slashed a decent .267 / .317 / .809; he also hit 12 home runs and drove in 38 runs.

There were stretches last season where he was the best hitter on the team, slashing .351 / .371 / .649 through his first 16 games on the team. It looked as though Frazier had arrived and it would take something drastic to take him down.

Then came a series against the Boston Red Sox in Yankee Stadium in June. This is where the wheels came off and everything came crashing down.

During this series, Frazier’s defensive woes became exposed. From there, Frazier would only wear the Yankee pinstripes for 12 more games before being sent down for the next two and a half months.

What’s more, his attitude made it so the team didn’t feel so inclined to call him up when the services of an outfielder were required. He took little responsibility for his play and took the maximum time allotted to report to Scranton-Wilks Barre despite the team being located a little over 2 hours away.

All of that is in the past now and with a new season comes new opportunities. In 2020, Clint Frazier will have an opportunity to become an everyday member of the New York Yankees.  Stanton can be the full-time DH, Gardy can return to left, and Frazier can man center.

If he succeeds, the team will be better for it.