He came in late, hit for Gardy and patrolled left field in the ninth, when the score was infinity to infinity-plus-one. He drew a walk. That leaves "Red Thundah" - (in these parts, "the Red Menace") - at .263, with 12 HRs in 224 at bats. In the last three games, he has twice come to bat. By my rough, cocktail napkin calculations, he is the fifth Yankee outfielder, the 34th Yankee on the depth chart. Barring a measles outbreak, his season ends Sunday.
As will his time in pinstripes.
As you may know, I'm a big Red rooter. I still feel the Death Star kicked him in his Kansas this summer, when they traded for the then-slumping Edwin Encarnacion. That move exiled Clint him to Purgatory - aka Scranton - following one god-awful night in right field, on national TV. It was a humiliating fate for a young man who had helped carry this team through its darkest period of the season. Dumped to Central Pennsylvania, Frazier fell into a funk - who could blame him? - and has never been the same.
Everyone, including Frazier, seemed to think he was a gonner at the trade deadline. When the Yankees held on, my hopes grew. But these days, it's hard to imagine him back next spring. And the reason is on Frazier: He simply has not forced the issue.
After being recalled in early September, Frazier needed to get hot. Instead, he's hit .152, and his fielding remains shaky. Frankly, if Gardy and Cameron Maybin collide into a pile of broken bones, I'm still not sure Frazier would play. The Yankees would probably go with Stanton in left and Tyler Wade in center, with somebody else as DH. Frazier has played himself out of the picture.
Next spring, Mike Tauchman returns. He'll be 29, with at least two solid years ahead of him, and Tauchman is the closest thing to Paul O'Neill that we've seen in 20 years. If Aaron Hicks returns - (I'm starting to think he'll never last a season) - Frazier will once again be locked out. I think he'll be traded this winter, unless nobody in baseball values him enough to pay up. When you're a one-tool player, the tool better work. Frazier's tool has been limp. What else can I say?
Before I leave, I must mention a throbbing Yankee tool: Mike Ford. Last night, he homered again - his 12th in 140 at bats. Right now, Ford is everything that Luke Voit - 0 for 5 last night, and looking increasingly exasperated - is not. Buck Showalter is impressed. Ford is a lefty bat, not much worse in the field than the linebacker, Voit. Unless Luke goes on a spree, Ford should get the call next week. Seriously, isn't it obvious?
The good news:
ReplyDeleteMike Stanton did not look like a toreador last night and has 1.158 OPS since coming back. He may actually be getting his swing back in the nick of time (we'll see). He did carry the team for a month last year. Here's hoping he can do it next month.
The real Gio hit a dinger and looks like he isn't hurt badly.
The General got hsi 100 rbis. It's an individual stat which we shouldn't care about, but nice for the real MVP. It also shows the offensive potential of the Yankees since most of it was out of the lead off spot.
And the Bronx Buttocks version 2.0 is (supposedly according to the Bronx version of Joe Isuzu - the Yankees PR staff) OK.
ReplyDeleteI'll regret Frazier's departure. Not because I'm afraid of what he'll do to the Yankees with another uniform on -- but......it seemed to me he had potential to be awesome. And fun to watch.
As pointed out in the main post here . . . the potential proved to be elusive. This is true of many humans.
If there are regrets for the NYYs, I guess it would be that they didn't trade him in June, when his numbers were very good. Maybe he could have brought in another reliever on the order of Chance Adams?
I can't imagine he'll bring a lot of value this coming winter.
I think Frazier comes back to spring training.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, who would want him? And the Yankees should not simply give him away.
His hitting is erratic ( most people are so when they don't play on a regular basis ) and I don't remain convinced that his fielding can improve. If his brain does not immediately calculate speed, arc and distance ( tracking a fly ball ) by now, how does that change?
So, he either comes to Florida a new man, or eaves to pursue a job in high tech.
I hope Ford gets the nod, but the Yankees will never not play Voit or Encarnation. Although it is troubling that Edwin is still not feeling " ready" to swing a bat in anger.
ReplyDeleteSanchez is also a worry in that he didn't even compete in his three at bats last night ( KKK).
And we won't be using him as a pinch runner.
We'll see if Boone does anything surprising and inventive.
I think not.
I say; Ford and Frazier don't make the cut. I say Sanchez and Romine are the catchers. I say Incarnation makes it. I say Maybin makes it. And likely Tyler Wade. I see no surprises on the pitching roster. Monty won't make it. Unless; what happened to the Maple Syrup guy yesterday? How serious is his glute tightness?
And the trouble is, no one is even talking about King. WTF? Yanks have to go bold, or they will go home.
ReplyDeleteFord and King
Will bring the bling!
I'm less high on The Red Menace than you guys are, but I have to agree with Duque and Joe FOB on what the team has done to him. This sort of horrible, Brigadoon Refsnyder, Sonny Gray treatment has got to stop.
ReplyDeleteGive players an honest chance, or not.
It doesn't even make sense from the Yankees' POV. Why destroy a player's reputation and THEN deal him?
And Alphonso, while I wish they would give Frazier a shot, I suspect you're wrong, and that they WILL deal him beforehand. Probably for about as much as we got for Gray.
Hoss,
ReplyDeleteSome website that I don't usually pay attention to listed sasha gray as one of most improved 2019. They mentioned he is throwing MORE sliders this year than last. Some guys are just assholes that won't fit in in NY. Looking at you red menace.
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