The Cubs have outrighted Clint Frazier off their 40-man roster, after the outfielder cleared waivers. According to ESPN.com’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link), Frazier has elected to accept the assignment to Triple-A Iowa, rather than elect free agency.
Chicago signed Frazier to a one-year, $1.5MM deal just prior to the lockout, and about a week after the Yankees released the outfielder (essentially an early non-tender, as Frazier was projected to earn $2.4MM through the arbitration process). Frazier has hit .216/.356/.297 over 45 plate appearances this season, with his campaign broken up by a missed month of action due to an appendectomy. Frazier was designated for assignment last week, and it is perhaps a sign of how his stock has fallen that no teams put a claim on a player who isn’t far removed from being one of baseball’s top prospects.
There was some speculation that Frazier would refuse the outright assignment and instead test the open market again, though there is logic in his decision to remain in the Cubs organization. For one, Frazier might just be looking to get some consistent playing time after his lost month, and his market surely wasn’t helped by his lack of production this far in 2022. It stands to reason that Frazier might get another chance in Chicago later in the season, should the Cubs move some veteran players prior to the trade deadline.
The fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft, Frazier is now in his sixth MLB season, and he showed some flashes of his potential during his five years in the Bronx. However, a lack of consistency and some health issues kept Frazier from locking down a regular spot in the Yankees’ lineup, and vertigo-like symptoms kept Frazier off the field for most of the final three months of the 2021 season.
Wish this guy the best
Wish the best for Clint, but I sense a Trumpian Twitter blast coming from him…. “Clint, put down the Twitter!”
It’s time to put Jason Heyward on the 60 day IL with a phantom injury if the Cubs are too stupid/cheap to DFA him. The rest of the season should be devoted to development and evaluation for the future.
And if they do DFA him, there will be fans on here clamoring for some team to sign him, suggesting that he can suddenly transform into a different player if he only gets a chance.
JayHey maybe worth signing for league minimum salary for remainder of season. Why not?
Cubs get to pay his contract salary!
Because he’s terrible. Because he could make your team worse.
*hmmm… White Sox fan, now I see your thinking
There have been some “change of scenery” success stories, but Heyward has been so bad for so long now, I don’t think he’s capable of any appreciable success on any team.
You are absolutely right.
He needs a team that will let him play daily and he needs to stay healthy. There’s talent there, or there was.
He’s had 2 teams now let him play everyday. That’s not the issue. Just health.
The month out for the appendectomy was unfortunate. I think maybe the Cubs, who were in a roster crunch at that moment, had to DFA him but may have encouraged him to hang in. I’ll bet he sees more time in Chicago before this seasons done.
The Cubs have hardly given him a chance every day…
Good.
Frazier? Meh. Better off with Niles. Or Fraziers little pooch Eddie.
You’re not even a good troll. The least you could do is be funny once in awhile. Just another idiot with a keyboard, and one of the bigger ones at that.
That was pretty bad without even mentioning bulldog. Could have even mentioned Sam Malone
I was hoping that the Sox would put in a claim and reunite him with Refsnyder…
sherry, niles?
Eddie is his dad’s dog. RIP Marty Crane.
What’s going on with him that a team like the Royals set to deal Benintendi won’t put in a claim? Is he a clubhouse issue? I get the Yankee thing…the Twitter. But there’s teams without much going on who were crickets on this.
Not counting Benintendi the Royals have 4-5 OF’s better than Frazier, and more in the high minors.
That can be said for just about all MLB teams.
Frazier is only 27, but has a track record of high maintenance and little upside. He’s going to have to work this thing out himself, and is fortunate that the Cubs will let him play in their system. Guys like him usually have to either play for an independent team or one overseas.
@Samuel
That’s the basic Cecil Fielder composite. I just find it hard to believe an MLB team wouldn’t try to find him some at bats. There’s something non-baseball related in the makeup potentially.
This isn’t a 30 year old…it’s just a bruised former phenom. That usually screams stash. Not even Oakland wanted to run him out for little of nothing?
Good for the Cubs. They can deal someone at the deadline and give him some playing time.
@samuel
You got me at “little upside”…sure…that’s an easy one to make someone look like a subjective savant. That’s a solid prediction of most players.
But at his waiver cost he’s a former phenom that’s only 27. I’ll take that value chance…barring the head case…any day. And thats how a team finds value.
I think it’s a lack of maturity. Guy has major talent and yankees fans were on his side and psyched about him but could not stay healthy or consistent. Then he just slappes them all in the face on Twitter when signed with the Cubs.
The dude’s whole story was one of bad medical misfortunes and a tendency to opine like some 30-30 vet. He was never even a 10-10 guy. In short: talked big…played small. See him as a roadie for Phish.
Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth . . .
In 2018, he had a 107 OPS+
In 2019, he had a 111 OPS+
In 2020, he had a 150 OPS+
For his career, he has a 104 OPS+, which is pretty good for a guy with all his injury problems. And he didn’t talk big. The club hyped him up. “Legendary bat speed” was Cashman’s line, not Clint’s. He didn’t compare himself to Trout; some reporters at NJ.com did, and Clint rejected the comparison and said, “The biggest thing is I’m not trying to be Mike Trout. I’m trying to be Clint Frazier.”
It’s singular that another player like, say, Tim Anderson or Ronald Acuna, can boast all he wants and he’s just “being confident” and “has swagger,” but Frazier shows the least bit of confidence and he’s “talking big.”
Well said Fink.
Still the funniest story of the year
“Was DFA’d last week, and it is perhaps a sign of how his stock has fallen that no teams put a claim on a player who isn’t far removed from being 1 of baseball’s top prospects.”
I’m sad how far the fall from grace has been for him.
He still (somehow) still has age on his side.
Good luck, Clint! Don’t worry, 2022’s your age-27 season!
Good for you, Clint. Now just keep your head down, ignore the noise and make none, and play hard. Do that, and you’ll get your chance.
At least he’s got a lot of sneakers.
There was a time that the Indians thought that Frazier and Zimmmer were the outfilders of the future, both #1 picks. Both long gone along with the Indians.
Frazier was never really that good as a player. He got turned into a so-called stud because he was a Yankee prospect. Always way overrated as a player. I do think he would be terrific playing in the Korean League. Pencil him into left field and the #6 slot in the batting order.
Reminds me of Gregg Jeffries. Hyped with all the talent in the world, injuries and severe lack of maturity. At least Jeffries eventually got it together and went on to have a decent career.
Always talked with his mouth and ego and never his skills. Eat some humble pie -unwanted one
Couldn’t happen to a better guy
The Cubs have become such a twisted organization. Instead of keeping a guy who missed a month after an appendicitis attack and is hitting 216 and seeing if he can develop into a productive major league player they DFA him. While keeping Jason Hayward who has hit a solid .167 the last ten games. You’re clearly not contending so at least see if a younger player can play, what a joke they have become.
Nobody else wanted Frazier it seems, otherwise he would’ve been claimed on waivers. What does that say about him?
I’ve wanted to see Frazier on the Pirates dating back several years now. Still waiting to have it happen. Especially with the Pirates lack of depth in the farm for legitimate OF prospects to call up.
Not like Clint is in that category but at leat he is probably going to be better than what is being put out every day on the roster now.
If the Pirates wanted him they would’ve claimed him off waivers.
I think teams are just tired of the drama he brings. The “never given a chance” is complete bs. He played every day in ’19, ’20 and ’21 when he was on the MLB roster. He was outplayed by several other players in ’19, he was an everyday OF in ’20 and played everyday the first 2 months of ’21 even though he should have been benched in April. Bad health sucks it’s not his fault or the teams.
You know his career is faltering when this time nobody even bothers to make a “Down goes Frazier!” comment.
Some guys are just busts, and all those injuries took their toll. It’s unfortunate because it looked like he was gonna break out and become a star in 2020.
Alright Clint, now take that chip from your shoulder and use it to rake in Iowa. .1000 OPS time, let’s go!
I wonder if he’ll RIP the Cubbies to the Iowa press corp.
His similar batters through age 26 include Jayson Werth and Eric Thames. There’s two distinctive paths in those two for sure. Frazier has flashed some high obp in small sample sizes. He needs to be healthy, and needs to play a lot. He’s obviously “public” but I’m not sure that damns a player forever. Guys like him are the two career types. Best case is an Alex Gordon type curve. People forget what a bust Gordon was in KC until they moved him to LF.
Don’t know him. He called the Yankees, “Cookie Cutter,” which on the surface shows a lack of historic knowledge about the franchise. Did it publicly…which doesn’t show wisdom. But to be honest it also sounds a lot like a Josh Reddick too. I’d chalk up his comments to lack of instincts.
Been doing quite a bit of reading on Fraziers background. He sincerely asked about the availability of Mickey Mantle’s retired #7 with the Yankees….has gone off in interviews saying that he’s always been a misfit, and baseball is what got him through childhood and youth.
He comes off as a little like Lenny Dykstra in personality…or maybe entitled. But he also reminds me a little of Jimmy Piersall at the core. He speaks veiled about these concussion symptoms causing mental health issues. I can’t tell if he’s saying structural side effects…or what most would think of mental health issues. He also refers to it making him “struggle for his life.”
He wanted to confront people face to face in NY before he was DFA’d that day.
Cashman couldn’t find a trade before he ended up off the 40 man. And now he’s been left unclaimed with the Cubs. It’s a curiosity, and it might have nothing to do with baseball, but his personal life. I hope not, but wouldn’t be the first time. Hope he stays well and gets the bat going and finds joy in baseball again.
I call B.S. on that Mantle’s number story, and your research is garbage if that’s what you read.
larrybrownsports.com/baseball/clint-frazier-apolog…
You don’t like the guy. That’s up to you. But comparing him to Lenny Dykstra is total crap.
This is the guy you’re trashing, Dock:
nj.com/yankees/2016/08/the_incredible_side_of_yank…
@Fink
I didn’t believe I was trashing him. I was trying to figure out maybe what the subtext was for a former top prospect going unclaimed twice before age 27. That stuff happens. I wished him well. Not sure why you’re coming at me, because trashing him wasn’t close to my intention. If you can elaborate that’s fine…and you left more for me to read. But there’s no need for the tone. I don’t tend to trash anyone, unless things are all in good jest. If anything I’ve looked at Frazier and had my wondering.
I’d have claimed him in a heartbeat. That’s not “trashing” so I’m curious why this has occurred twice, and what information I’m lacking.
I just read…that’s all…chill it a little. I mentioned Dykstra because he was notorious for his naivety to baseball history. He was a gamer not a fan.
You compared him to Lenny Dykstra:
“In 2011, he was arrested and charged with bankruptcy fraud, followed by grand theft auto and drug possession charges on an unrelated case, as well as indecent exposure. He served 6-1⁄2 months in federal prison.”
No, Dock — that’s not Clint’s personality; and, yes, that’s an invidious comparison.
As for the rest of your remarks, in the context of posting a false accusation about him asking for Mantle’s number — a lie that was debunked long ago not only by Cashman but also by Clint’s minor league coach — and comparing his personality to that of a notorious lowlife felon and juicer, and comparing him to Jimmy Piersall, most famous for his mental illness, the more positive stuff reads like damnation by faint praise, at best.
And, for the record, while he was foolish to say it aloud, Frazier’s right that the Yankees do regiment their players’ appearances in line with the dictate of George Steinbrenner. Mattingly didn’t like it either and refused to cut his hair until he was benched and fined.
The truest thing you posted was: “Don’t know him.”
P.S.
I didn’t respond to you to make you feel bad. When the same falsehoods about Frazier keep getting repeated, I’ll do what I can to set the record straight. I wasn’t motivated to attack you; I was motivated to defend him. Comparing him to the likes of Dykstra and Piersall is way out of line, IMO.
Found Frazier’s mom’s account
@Fink
Don’t worry…you didn’t make me feel bad. Good gracious. I explained the comp to Dykstra as being about his much reported naivety when being called up. It’s been reported everywhere, and Beane even spoke of ot in Moneyball.
This is a non-verbal conversation, and that calls for acknowledgment that the usual social cues can’t be interpreted. You misread my intentions. I appreciate the further information. That’s what I was seeking. It’d have saved you some typing by being less defensive of someone I’d assume you’re only relying on reporting about. Just say, “Here’s a couple clips”. I’m not here for jousting. I’m here to add and learn. That’s pretty much all. I’ve exhausted what I have to say in the limited capacity that this non-verbal way allows.
If you’re feeling is passionate to defend someone that you feel has been wronged…that’s great. World needs more people like that. But I believe you’re making me pay for the comments of others. I don’t tend to trash players. I’ve lived the life. My own career was derailed partly by my own mental health struggle, and it took me about 10 years to get back in the game to be productive.
I was reading just to do exactly what you’re wanting….find good information and the truth. You’ll have to pardon me for having a life that had only allowed me to get to a few pieces, and attempting to engage over those. My honest concern WAS for him. I don’t identify to Dykstra the latter day creep. I relate to that young brash player that was aggressive and said what he felt. Lenny was famous for not having any idea who famous people were.
I got nothing else on this. I want to talk baseball, and attempt to do it with heart and as much intelligence as I can add. Approach me that way and it’s cool.
You’re giving me way too much credit for these comps. But the guys does appear to be more passionate than the usual and driven. It’s FRAZIER himself that mentioned mental health issues and struggling to survive. His words. And while most seem to be trashing his personality, or play…I was trying to bring him as a HUMAN to light. That’s pretty much all. Which is what you seem to be trying to do as well.
You’re a good man, Dock. I apologize for being too caustic in the way I expressed myself toward you in my defensiveness about Clint. That’s a fault I need to work on.
As I said before in another thread, maybe I’m overly influenced by the article about how he went out of his way to help strangers, but he seems to be a very decent young man whom the headline-hunters in the press went after and put a target on his back. Being a reporter and talking crap for clicks is a lot easier than coming to New York City from a tiny Podunk town in Georgia and performing at Yankee Stadium.
He seems to me to be a young, inexperienced guy who wasn’t accustomed to being hammered in the press and on social media, and he let it get to him. He was too unwise to get the hell off the latter. Twitter is a time-wasting cesspool that anybody would be smart to stay away from.
@Dock
There’s a lot of good humans in baseball. That, unfortunately, doesn’t draw anywhere near as much interest as sound bites in a competitive media market like New York.
I come from a tiny podunk place. But I’d seen a lot of the world by the time I was 18. I’ll have to infere that maybe Fraziers words are a bit a trusting individual speaking their honest thoughts to a world that can do whatever they wish to them. Social media is amazingly wonderful at exactly what you say…it’s why I got away from it. It’s run on toxicity. I’m inferring a LOT about Frazier Herr, but it’s not a stretch to believe someone can post something and not realize just how big their audience is. Then a person could get pushed…understand what they want to say…and double down.
I found his tweet calling the Cubs uniforms “sick” actually funny. Is he kind of like Dizzy Dean? Dean wouldn’t have come off right in print. But in person he was much loved. We live in such a jaded age…I think we tend to look for the worst in human character.
The baseball got me intrigued. He’s only 27. He’s passed through two major league organizations left available without a claim. I don’t see a single surface level reason not to pick him up unless that 1.5M is tagged on him maybe. But I do know that baseball is a club where perception matters. You get branded and people get risk averse unless you’re a proven commodity.
The concussion symptoms are very serious. He needs to get those right for himself. But if he is right, comfortable, I don’t see any reason he doesn’t have a nice story in his career.
@Fink
I’ve been watching YouTube clips of Frazier on podcasts and various clips focused on him. I’m sure this could be discussed forever. But my major takeaway is that this is a great example of how in baseball we’re not just dealing with statistics, but people. It’s very clear that right or wrong…whoever is to blame on whatever percentage…that Frazier and the Yankees were not right for eachother. Michael Kay mentioned that they should have gotten a sit down with him and Reggie Jackson and David Cone on dealing with the media
I’m in the middle of his Short Porch podcast interview. It has 4.1k views. Not much. But he’s not exactly professional in it. He talks about specific reporters and teammates like he’s talking privately with a group of friends. I get that. I know of players who juiced in the 90s and made the HOF…but I won’t speak of it publicly. It’s just unprofessional, and these podcast toadies are eating it up.
I’m not saying players shouldn’t speak with candor. But they’re targets both good and bad. He’s being egged on quite a bit.
This whole podcast seems built around, “Can we get Frazier to talk smack.”
I’ll say this…Frazier is honest. And I bet he’d be forgiven if he put up the numbers. Looks like a product of the social media age, and a by product. He’s just not doing himself any favors. I’ve dealt with young athletes a long time…that’s just my two cents. He has some points, but he doesn’t handle himself the way he needs to.
Good points all around in both comments, Dock. I think you’re right.
BTW, “sick” in the latest parlance means “great” the way “bad” meant “cool” in the sixties. What a language ours is.
Oh yeah, I have four boys myself. I love the language differences over time. Can’t say I use “sick” like they do. I’m in my mid 40s. We just had “cool” we were so boring. What do we have to pay to bring “out of sight back?”
As far as Frazier. He sounds and speaks like a billion young athletes I’ve been around. There’s no filter and change in how he seems to deal with the public.
I only hope he’s a good teammate. That means more than whatever narrative media likes to generate. What I seem to see us that we only deem media to be “print” and not things like a site of podcast.
I think generally it’s always best to not be reactionary about young athletes, and care about the person.
We’ll see. I wish him well. The world is full of a lot of horrible things, and it’s only better if we can all succeed as much as possible. He’s committed faux pauxs not crimes.
Good articles. Thanks. Looks like a lot of media in play with Clint Frazier. Not unusual.
Wonder what someone with a personality as strange as his will do in “retirement” from baseball? Major Uncle Rico vibes…
Another chance in Chicago. He’ll be back up if he’s right and raking.