BRADENTON, Fla. — As Adam Frazier prepared for some baserunning drills on a field at Pirate City, a fan called out his surname and prompted the utilityman to wave in response.
Later on, Frazier shook hands with members of the Pirates’ grounds crew who almost assuredly were around the last time he wore the black and gold. Saturday marked Frazier’s first official day back with the Pirates since he was traded to the Padres prior to the 2021 MLB trade deadline, and his appreciation for returning to an organization he’d spent close to a decade with was evident.
“Feels like home,” Frazier said. “I think I kind of mentioned that last year, first time back in mid-September, kind of felt that way.
“A lot of familiar faces in this clubhouse, maybe not on the team, but guys I’ve played with elsewhere are here now, and clubhouse guys and the coaches and everybody. That makes it easier to hop back into a place.”
Frazier, who has spent six of nine MLB campaigns with the Pirates, had been on the club’s radar for a few years. General manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday he’d chatted with Frazier each of the past offseasons since he’d departed Pittsburgh, but the two sides never came to an agreement to bring him back to the Pirates.
Now 33, Frazier is at a very different stage of his career than when he left the Pirates shortly after he was named to his sole All-Star Game. Sure, there’s a few familiar faces like Bryan Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen, but it’s mostly a young group that’s headlined by reigning National League Rookie of the Year award-winner Paul Skenes.
Frazier hopes to help the leadership group already in place and provide a veteran perspective.
“Feel pretty comfortable here, so I felt comfortable coming back and excited with this group,” Frazier said. “You can see the playoff-caliber pitching and good group of young guys along with some older veterans like Reynolds and Cutch and guys I’ve played with before.
“Excited to get to work with them and see if we can make a run at this thing.”
It would behoove the Pirates if Frazier, who is signed to a one-year contract, could bounce back from a down 2024 campaign. Last season with the Royals, Frazier battled a thumb injury and had his worst year as a big-leaguer, setting career lows in batting average (.202), on-base percentage (.282) and slugging percentage (.294).
Given the current composition of the Pirates’ roster, Frazier is anticipated to serve in a utility role of sorts, per manager Derek Shelton. It’s unclear yet where Frazier, who has primarily seen time at second base and the corner outfield spots in the majors, will play the most. But he’s willing to bounce around the diamond as necessary.
“I know I can be available every day and be ready to help the team in any position,” Frazier said. “That’s what I’ve kind of been doing the last few years is try to play good defense at whatever position I’m at and help the team win.”
Pretty quickly, Frazier got a taste of the Pirates’ finest, facing Skenes during a live batting practice session. It was hardly a first-day requirement for Frazier to square off against Skenes, but rather something he wanted to do.
“It’s facing one of the premier arms in the game,” Frazier said. “That’s what you want, not just in practice but in games. He’s going to bring the best out of everyone. If you can figure out how to hit that, then I feel like it makes the rest of it a little bit easier.”
Skenes’ presence is perhaps the most concrete example of how discussions about the Pirates are different in 2025 than they were when Frazier was in Pittsburgh in 2021, one of two 100-loss teams of the Cherington era. Even so, the 2024 campaign fell short of expectations for most, and the Pirates will need to do much better than 76 wins if they want to qualify for the postseason.
Even on just his first day in a Pirates uniform in a while, Frazier was adamant that this year’s team can put it all together and compete.
“The window is here. I think it was open even last year,” Frazier said. “Team was in the mix until the last month and a half, kind of hit a skid. So that’s baseball, trying to put together 162 this time around.
“I think we’ve got a chance to make the playoffs and make some noise.”
First Published: February 15, 2025, 8:08 p.m.
Updated: February 15, 2025, 8:13 p.m.
