Each weekday until pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Bradenton, Fla., Post-Gazette baseball writers Bill Brink and Stephen J. Nesbitt will deliver a primer on a player or two on the Pirates’ 40-man roster. The countdown will rank players in order of impact and importance to the Pirates’ chances in 2017, plus their on-field abilities, off-field concerns and the likelihood of their inclusion on the active roster on opening day April 3 in Boston and beyond. For the full list, click here
Adam Frazier, IF/OF
Bats/throws: L/R
Height/weight: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds
Age: 25
How acquired: Drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round in 2013.
2016 stats: .301/.356/.411 batting line in 160 plate appearances over 66 games with the Pirates; 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB, 1 CS, 12 BB, 26 K, .767 OPS, 104 OPS+.
Contract situation: Rookie contract, less than a year of service time.
THREE KEY NUMBERS
Leading off: .417. Frazier’s batting average against left-handers was .417 — 10 for 24, all singles plus a sacrifice fly, and just three strikeouts. Come on now. That’s crazy. Sure, that .840 OPS versus lefties will probably come down next season, but rest assured Frazier can handle same-handed pitching. His average against lefties at Class AA and Class AAA was .315.
On deck: .933. That’s Frazier’s fielding percentage after playing 293 innings of major league defense. He committed six errors — three at second base (in 100 innings) and one apiece at third base (18 innings), left field (107⅓ innings) and right field (64⅔ innings).
In the hole: .306. When coming off the bench, Frazier had a .306 batting average and .890 OPS. He started 27 games and entered as a sub in 39 games. Both of his home runs were in pinch-hit at-bats, though he had only three RBIs in 41 plate appearances as a substitute.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Frazier, a Mississippi State grad who climbed one rung of the Pirates’ minor-league ladder each of the past four years, reached the majors in late June last season. He knows how to make a good first impression. Billed as the next Josh Harrison — a young player who can bounce around the field as a utility player and could have a future as an everyday starter — Frazier didn’t miss a beat at bat, with a .301 batting average, a .417 average against lefties, and a .333 average with runners in scoring position. He played five defensive positions and initially didn’t seem nearly so dependable as Harrison and Sean Rodriguez, the Pirates’ previous utility men. He wasn’t terrible, but he was shaky. Groomed as a middle infielder, Frazier must be able to fill in at second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. Something to keep an eye on.
Frazier’s hitting approach is not something you’ll see often from a rookie. Clearly, a few years against strong SEC competition helped ready him for professional ball. Take a look at these spray charts from Fangraphs. Frazier sends the ball all over the yard. Righties, lefties, doesn’t matter. Both his home runs were pulled off right-handers, but he goes the other way even more often, particularly against left-handers. That sort of approach is hard to counter and outsmart.
Frazier vs. right-handed pitching:
Source: FanGraphs
Frazier vs. left-handed pitching:
Source: FanGraphs
2016 HIGHLIGHT
Frazier had a couple days to remember. On July 3, in his second career start, he went 2 for 4 against the Oakland Athletics with a double and a triple, his first extra-base hits in the majors. On July 17, he played all 18 innings of the Pirates’ 2-1 win against the Washington Nationals and went 3 for 6 with three doubles and two walks. That was overshadowed by Starling Marte hitting a solo homer in the 18th. On Aug. 14, Frazier had his first four-hit game, a 4-for-5 day against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 24, Frazier got his first major league home run. He pinch-hit leading off the seventh and launched a mammoth homer to the top row of bleachers in right field off a 95 Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Edubray Ramos. It was the deciding run in a 5-4 Pirates win.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Once Rodriguez signed with the Atlanta Braves earlier this offseason, it was clear the utility job was Frazier’s. He’ll back up just about everyone around the diamond, but the most important spot might be shortstop. Frazier didn’t play there last season, but he currently represents the only real backup to starter Jordy Mercer, who hardly ever gets a day off. At PirateFest in December, Frazier said he is comfortable at shortstop, since that was his primary position until just recently in the minor leagues. As for his defense, he said he made more “mental errors” than “physical errors” last season. He thinks he’s a better defender than he showed. “[Mental errors] are something you can control, and something you have to control in order to be more reliable and be successful,” he said. “It’s not something I’m worried about. It’s something I obviously need to improve on. It makes me more mad than anybody else. I strive for perfection.” It’s fair to guess Frazier’s numbers will drop somewhat in his sophomore season, his first full season in the majors, but, then again, he posted similar numbers at almost every level. If he sustains a .300-plus average with an all-fields plate approach and good walk and strikeout rates, he probably work himself in a starting job sooner than later. For now, he’s got an important role in the majors. Not bad for a guy who many fans hadn’t heard of before last summer.
Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.
First Published: January 19, 2017, 2:00 p.m.