The ascent of Clint Frazier is shadowed by the fall of Greg Bird

Admit it: When Clint Frazier comes up, you don't go to the kitchen for more cheese curds. Right now, he is the most interesting Yankee, the marquee act after Aaron Judge. In each at-bat - even when he strikes out - he drives at least one ball hard. He's never over-matched, never looks lost, never appears fazed, never seems to worry. He's clearly capable of [REDACTED-REDACTED-REDACTED.] In this depleted lineup, he should be hitting third.

But but BUT... we've seen this movie before. Last year, it was the Luke Voit Story. Previously, we watched Tyler Austin, Gary Sanchez, Greg Bird and Gleyber Torres arrive like tornadoes and then slowly settle into troubling cycles of normalcy - in some cases, which we're still trying to discern. (Exactly how good will Sanchez and Torres turn out to be?) Only Judge has managed to maintain his rookie hot streak (and, frankly, he batted below .200 in his first incarnation.) The sad and torturous collapse of Bird - now facing yet another bum hind paw - reminds us of what Yankee fan Hillary Clinton once said: It takes a village of prospects to raise one star player, because all the others will fall by the wayside.

But what about Frazier? Soon, pitchers will quit trying to throw fastballs by him. (As they were doing to Bird.) Soon, defenses will shift according to the mathematical progressions of his swing. Soon, some pitcher will figure out a weakness, and word of it will metastasize throughout the league. 

Much has been said about Frazier's two concussions last year, which defined his season and which still cloud his future. What has been overlooked is his output in Scranton: In 216 plate appearances, he hit .311 with 10 HRs - far improved over his previous season at Triple A (.256 and 12 HRs in 320 at-bats.) In his second go-around at Scranton, he was raking. 

This is technically his second approach to the majors. Like Judge, his first incarnation was less than spectacular. Do we dare dream about this guy? I dunno. He could be the next Shane Spencer. But when he comes up, I hold my water and watch.