Yankees' Clint Frazier Named Starting Left Fielder Ahead of Spring Training
No speculation will be necessary when it comes to Clint Frazier's role entering Spring Training.
During Aaron Boone's first press conference at Yankees camp on Wednesday, the manager announced that Frazier will be New York's starting left fielder this season.
"Clint has obviously come a long way in every aspect of his game and certainly earned his place last year when obviously, nothing was given to him," Boone said. "He had to earn everything really the last couple of years he's been a contributor, going back really since the first year I was here, and last year I think really proved that he was ready to grab an everyday role on this team."
Frazier blossomed with the big-league club in 2020, taking full advantage of an opportunity to start during New York's shortened campaign. In 39 games, the 26-year-old hit .267 (35-for-131) with eight home runs, 26 RBI and a .905 OPS.
With both Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge spending time sidelined due to injury, there were stretches where Frazier was starting everyday, serving as one of this team's hottest hitters. He had eight hits in his first four games of the season, called up in August, before a 16-game stretch in September where he was hitting .339 with 13 runs scored.
This comes after Frazier struggled to establish himself on the big-league roster in his first three seasons with New York.
"I feel like at his age, with his experience now and the success and the confidence that he's continued to build, has put him in position to go into this camp as an everyday player and he's certainly earned that," Boone said.
With Frazier starting in left, that sets up for New York's outfield to feature No. 77, Aaron Hicks in center and Aaron Judge in right (with Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter). From there, New York has Mike Tauchman and speedster Greg Allen on their 40-man roster that can provide some depth. Tyler Wade and Miguel Andújar could be used in the outfield as well in a pinch while non-roster invitees—like sluggers Jay Bruce and Derek Dietrich—have a shot to make the team in a bench role.
Brett Gardner remains a free agent as Spring Training gets underway and Boone didn't have much of an update on the outfielder's negotiations with the Yankees when he addressed the media on Wednesday.
"We'll see," Boone said.
Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), on Facebook (also @MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
