Adam Frazier joined the Altoona Curve in May, after missing the start of the year with a finger injury. He primarily played shortstop in his first two years of pro ball, but found himself looking for playing time at other positions in Altoona, with Gift Ngoepe taking his position. The result was that Frazier played center field, left field, shortstop, third base, and designated hitter with the Curve. And it was easy to keep finding spots for him in the lineup, especially with the way he was hitting.
Frazier currently has a .363/.419/.484 line in 139 plate appearances with Altoona. A lot of that production was due to a .424/.472/.591 line in 75 plate appearances during the month of June. That performance was not only enough to keep him in the lineup, but it was enough to make him the Pirates Prospects Player of the Month in June.
With the recent promotion of Gift Ngoepe to Indianapolis, expect Frazier to get more time at shortstop in Altoona. He has already played the last two games at the position since that promotion. Prior to that, 12 of his 13 starts in the field came in center field, while the other was at shortstop. Frazier doesn’t have the best defense at the position, especially not in terms of what the Pirates look for. However, he’s speedy, has good range, and can play the position well enough to add value there as a future utility player.
The super utility route seems to be what the Pirates are setting Frazier up for, as he has gotten playing time on the left side of the infield, along with two outfield positions. He can also play second base, and has a lot of value as a guy who can, in theory, play every position on the field outside of catching. He has a lot of value with his bat, hitting for average and getting on base at a good rate. He doesn’t hit for much home run power, but adds power with extra base hits and gap shots. He can also add value on the bases with his speed. Basically, he’s the type of player the Pirates have been targeting heavily in the draft the last few years, which explains why they took him in the sixth round in 2013.
It might be difficult for Frazier to move up to Indianapolis this year, but he could be a candidate to make the jump next year, with a chance in the future to crack the Pirates’ bench as a super utility guy.
Players of the Month by Level
Indianapolis – Brent Morel, 3B (.301/.339/.563, 109 PA, 6 HR)
Altoona – Adam Frazier, SS (.424/.472/.591, 75 PA, 1 HR)
Bradenton – Harold Ramirez, RF (.346/.390/.467, 118 PA, 1 HR)
West Virginia – Michael Suchy, RF (.344/.434/.531, 76 PA, 2 HR)
