INDIANAPOLIS – Adam Frazier had never played in the outfield prior to last season in Altoona.
Not in college at Mississippi State. And not even one game while at Oconee County High School in Georgia.
But that’s changed. And it may be a big part of the reason he could eventually earn a promotion to Pittsburgh: he’s become versatile in the field and is having another good season at the plate.
“We’re trying to get as much versatility out of him as possible, obviously,” Indianapolis manager Dean Treanor said. “I think it’s only going to benefit him down the road. But I can see this guy playing one position every day in the big leagues. Having that versatility — and I think he recognizes that — will only benefit him.”
Prior to this season, 82 percent of Frazier’s career starts came at shortstop. He had made 218 starts at that position prior to this year. In comparison, the most starts at another position prior to this year were 29 in center field.
Almost all of Frazier’s starts this season have been in the outfield. He’s made 23 starts in left field, 11 in center field, and just eight at second base. He has good speed for the outfield and has seemed to be a quick learner at those positions.
“He plays it like he came up as an outfielder,” Treanor said.
Frazier had no complaints with transitioning to the outfield. The adjustment was relatively simple, he said, adding, “I pretty much go out and react.”
Frazier can not only play those positions, but he can interchange among them seamlessly. In a recent three-day stretch, Frazier started in center field one day, at second base the next night, only to move over to left field on the third night. He has just two errors this season — one in left field and one at second base.
“It just adds value,” Frazier said. “The more positions [you can play] the more opportunities there will be. That helps the club out and helps yourself out. Just being available helps the manager.”
Frazier had a down year in 2014 with Bradenton, hitting .252 with an on-base percentage of .307 and a .616 OPS. But he bounced back last season with Altoona and his start this season has made those struggles look more like an aberration than a concern.
In Indianapolis, he’s hitting .302 with an on-base percentage of .380 and an OPS of .747. Frazier has a 22-game streak of reaching safely.
“His greatest asset is the way he battles at-bats, grinds at-bats, and puts the ball in play — that’s his forte,” Indianapolis hitting coach Butch Wynegar said. “That’s what he did in Spring Training. I think that’s what Clint Hurdle liked about him, because Clint really liked him.”
Frazier isn’t going to complain about having a batting average above .300, but at the same time feels like he’s not hitting at an optimal level. Part of that is due to adjusting to the Triple-A level, as he’s made a quick climb through the organization, playing just one season at Altoona, Bradenton, and Jamestown.
So while he’s had success offensively, Frazier doesn’t feel like he’s hit the same stride he did last year with Altoona.
“The pitching is definitely a little bit better at this level,” Frazier said. “I feel like every guy out of the bullpen you better be able to hit the fastball or you’ll be in trouble. They make less mistakes and have better off-speed stuff. More guys can throw more pitches in the zone for strikes. When pitchers can do two or three pitches in the zone, it can be tough.”
The overall season numbers are good, but Frazier doesn’t easily forget even one bad game. After going 0-for-3 against Rochester on May 30th, Frazier said he felt he gave some at-bats away, though, he admitted he was talking somewhat off emotion after a bad game.
“That’s a good self-evaluation and we don’t do enough of that by the way,” Treanor said. “And it’s not just him. We’ll swing early in the count and get ourselves out. I think discipline would be the right word. We’re not disciplined enough, especially in some key situations. It seems like when we get runners into scoring position and there’s a situation there — we’re always swinging early and not working the count, trying to get to a point where they make a mistake. We just don’t do a good job of that.”
While he’s not going to be a power hitter, Frazier has the versatility to succeed in different places in the batting order. He’s been used as a leadoff hitter 15 times this season with a line of .339/.431/.428. Frazier has batted second 20 times with a line of .301/.366/.361.
And in the past couple of weeks, Frazier has primarily been in the third spot of the lineup. In those eight games, his line is .296/.387/.370. Considering Frazier may not be swinging as well as he would like, his performance is encouraging, and Treanor has been encouraged by his progress.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Treanor said. “I like the way he’s playing. I like him at the plate and that’s why he’s in the 3-hole for us right now.”
Frazer has the ability to hit, get on base, and play all over the field. He doesn’t hit for power, but has speed to go with his hitting. He’s got a good work ethic, a good attitude to try and improve his game, and he’s always hustling on the field to make a play or take an extra base. It’s no surprise that Clint Hurdle likes him, since he resembles Josh Harrison in many ways, who is another favorite of Hurdle. The combination of the hitting and the hard work will get him to the majors, but the versatility only makes it easier for him to arrive at some point with the Pirates.
