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River Ave. Blues » Clint Frazier

Game 28: Sweep by the Bay?

April 28, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

The West Coast trip is going about as well as anyone could’ve reasonably hoped. The Yankees have won five of the first six games, and their makeshift lineup keeps finding ways to scratch out runs. Seems like it’s a new hero every day, doesn’t it?

“That’s one that kind of sucks the air out of the building,” Aaron Boone said to George King when asked about Gary Sanchez’s grand slam in yesterday’s win. “I had to walk down the steps and let out a yell. That fires you up when you see when of our dudes really step on one. I enjoyed that one.”

Domingo German has been his team’s most consistent starter this season, which sounds weird, but is definitely true. Little Sunday has been excellent. Now he can pitch the Yankees to a three-game series sweep on Sunday. Fitting. Here are today’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 2B DJ LeMahieu
2. 1B Luke Voit
3. CF Brett Gardner
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. SS Gleyber Torres
6. LF Mike Tauchman
7. 3B Gio Urshela
8. LF Tyler Wade
9. RHP Domingo German

San Francisco Giants
1. 2B Joe Panik
2. LF Yangervis Solarte
3. 1B Brandon Belt
4. 3B Pablo Sandoval
5. SS Brandon Crawford
6. CF Kevin Pillar
7. RF Gerardo Parra
8. C Erik Kratz
9. RHP Dereck Rodriguez


It is a nice and sunny day in San Francisco. Great afternoon for a sweep. Today’s series finale will begin at 4:05pm ET and the YES Network will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery) has graduated to taking full batting practice. He continues to progress with his throwing program as well. The Yankees still aren’t giving a firm timetable for his return — at this point he is definitely still several weeks away — but things are going well with his rehab … Clint Frazier (ankle) hit in the cage and ran on a treadmill today for the first time since being placed on the injured list. He’s not eligible to be activated until Friday, but it’s good he’s already resumed normal baseball activities.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Didi Gregorius

Game 27: Looking for another win by the Bay

April 27, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

The Yankees have won nine times in their last eleven games and, incredibly, they remain a top ten offensive team despite all the injuries. They are ninth in runs per game (5.31), ninth in AVG (.258), eighth in OBP (.340), eighth in SLG (.458), and tenth in wRC+ (108). The replacements have been great.

“It’s fun, man. No one thinks we should be winning these games,” Luke Voit told Coley Harvey after last night’s win. “And everyone in our clubhouse, before the game, after the game, it’s just like everyone’s cheering for each other and happy. And you know what, the confidence is through the roof, too.”

Of course, the pitching has been pretty good too. The Yankees as a team have a 3.86 ERA, ninth best in baseball, and their starters are seventh in baseball with a 3.57 ERA. Hopefully a weak Giants lineup and a homer unfriendly park allows J.A. Happ to dominate today. Here are today’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 2B DJ LeMahieu
2. 1B Luke Voit
3. C Gary Sanchez
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 3B Gio Urshela
6. CF Brett Gardner
7. RF Cameron Maybin
8. LF Thairo Estrada
9. LHP J.A. Happ

San Francisco Giants
1. CF Kevin Pillar
2. LF Tyler Austin
3. 1B Brandon Belt
4. C Buster Posey
5. 3B Evan Longoria
6. 2B Yangervis Solarte
7. SS Brandon Crawford
8. RF Gerardo Parra
9. LHP Derek Holland


It is partly cloudy and cool in San Francisco today. Not a bad day to spend at the ballpark. This afternoon’s game will begin at 4:05pm ET and you can watch on the YES Network. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Miguel Andujar (shoulder) went 3-for-5 as the DH in an Extended Spring Training game today. He is going to rest tomorrow and play third base in an ExST game Monday, and if all goes well, he’ll begin an official minor league rehab assignment with High-A Tampa on Tuesday … Troy Tulowitzki (calf) played a simulated game yesterday and will play in an ExST on Monday … Aaron Hicks (back) is tentatively scheduled to begin playing in ExST games next Wednesday … Clint Frazier (ankle) played catch today and is expected to return right when his ten days on the injured list are up, or shortly thereafter. He is eligible to be activated Friday … Jacoby Ellsbury (hip) is coming along slowly with his rehab because “little things” keep popping up, Aaron Boone said.

Rotation Update: Domingo German starts tomorrow, Monday is an off-day, Masahiro Tanaka starts Tuesday, and CC Sabathia starts Wednesday. The Yankees flipped Tanaka and Sabathia. Tanaka will start Tuesday on normal rest and Sabathia gets an extra day. Disregard, Aaron Boone misspoke this morning. The Yankees are not flipping Tanaka and Sabathia. German tomorrow, off-day Monday, Sabathia on Tuesday, Tanaka on Wednesday. Everyone stays on turn.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Jacoby Ellsbury, Miguel Andujar, Troy Tulowitzki

Clint Frazier headed to injured list with left ankle strain

April 25, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

The Yankees just welcomed one player back from the injured list (Gary Sanchez), so now it’s time to lose someone else. Clint Frazier is heading to the 10-day injured list with a left ankle strain, Aaron Boone announced following tonight’s win. The Yankees believe it is a two-week injury. We’ll see.

“Fraz very much feels like he can play or is close to playing, but the MRI revealed enough in there — I don’t have the exact what it is — but revealed enough of some partial tear and it’s gonna cost him the ten days,” Boone told Lindsey Adler.

Frazier suffered the injury Monday night when he slid back into second base awkwardly. His spike got caught and he rolled over on his ankle. Frazier finished the game, but he was held out of the lineup the last two days because of soreness and swelling. He went for an MRI today. Here’s the play:

The Yankees have been kicking butt the last week or so and Frazier was a big part of that. He’s hitting .324/.342/.632 (150 wRC+) and looking awfully dangerous at the plate. Now this dumb, fluky injury will keep him out at least ten days. The poor kid can’t catch a break.

Boone said the Yankees will use Frazier’s injured list stint to recall Joe Harvey before his ten days in the minors are up. I have to believe another move is coming. The Yankees have five interleague games in National League parks coming up and I can’t see them going into those games without two actual outfielders on the roster.

The easy move would be sending down Jonathan Loaisiga and calling up … Billy Burns? Matt Lipka? Brad Miller? I have no idea. Maybe a minor trade is coming. Third catcher Kyle Higashioka is the only healthy 40-man roster position player not in the big leagues roster now. (The Yankees can put Luis Severino on the 60-day injured list to clear a 40-man spot at this point.)

Frazier is the 15th different Yankee to spend time on the injured list this season. They can’t catch a break. Sanchez returns, Frazier gets hurt. Giancarlo Stanton needed a cortisone shot in his shoulder this week and no one else is particularly close to returning. No mas.

Filed Under: Injuries Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Joe Harvey

Game 24: Milestone Night?

April 24, 2019 by Mike

(Mark Brown/Getty)

Are they playing crisp and clean baseball right now? No, but the Yankees are racking up wins and they go into tonight one game behind the Rays in the loss column. Imagine if the roles were reversed and the Rays were closing in on the Yankees despite all the injuries? They’d write scripture about them.

Anyway, CC Sabathia has a chance to make history tonight. Six more strikeouts and he’ll become the 17th member of the 3,000-strikeout club. Sabathia isn’t a big strikeout pitcher anymore, plus the Angels rarely strike out, but six strikeouts is definitely doable. The milestone is within reach.

“Getting it out of the way early would be great,” Sabathia told George King about the milestone. “It’s not something I am focusing on. I making sure I stay healthy enough to help the team win.”

The milestone would be cool. Another win would be even cooler. The Yankees have won five straight games and seven of their last eight games. They haven’t all been pretty, but who cares. They are wins in the bank. Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 2B DJ LeMahieu
2. DH Luke Voit
3. CF Brett Gardner
4. C Gary Sanchez
5. SS Gleyber Torres
6. 1B Mike Ford
7. 3B Gio Urshela
8. RF Mike Tauchman
9. LF Tyler Wade

LHP CC Sabathia

Los Angeles Angels
1. 2B David Fletcher
2. CF Mike Trout
3. SS Andrelton Simmons
4. 1B Albert Pujols
5. LF Brian Goodwin
6. C Jonathan Lucroy
7. DH Kevan Smith
8. RF Kole Calhoun
9. 3B Zack Cozart

RHP Cam Bedrosian (opener for RHP Felix Pena)


Safe to assume it is another great night for baseball in Anaheim. Pretty great weather in New York too. Tonight’s game will begin at 10:07pm ET and you can watch on the YES Network locally and MLB Network nationally. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Clint Frazier (ankle) went for an MRI today and the Yankees are waiting for the results. His ankle is still swollen and black and blue … Giancarlo Stanton (biceps) had to get a cortisone shot in his shoulder recently. The biceps is healed, but now his shoulder is barking. He’ll resume his work in a few days and won’t return before the end of the road trip … Miguel Andujar (shoulder) took live batting practice and could play in Extended Spring Training games soon. It should be noted he is not out of the woods yet with regards to potential season-ending surgery, but so far, so good … Aaron Hicks (back) took live batting practice as well and has ramped up all his baseball activities. He took could play in ExST games soon … Troy Tulowitzki (calf) also took live batting practice and could play in ExST games soon … Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery) is continuing to stretch out his throwing. All is going well.

Roster Moves: In case you missed it earlier, the Yankees sent down the struggling Chad Green. Bummer, but it had to be done. On the bright side, Sanchez is back! Hooray! Kyle Higashioka was sent down to clear a spot for Sanchez and Stephen Tarpley was called up to replace Green.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier, Didi Gregorius, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Troy Tulowitzki

Game 23: Not Another Marathon

April 23, 2019 by Mike

(Sean M. Haffey/Getty)

Gosh, last night was a grind. Did you stay up for the entire game? I hope not. I did and I regretted it when my alarm went off this morning. Five hits in 14 innings? In a West Coast night game? No one deserves that. Fortunately, the Yankees eked out a win, and they’ve won six of their last seven games.

“Finding a way right now. It’s not easy for us by any means but the guys have been finding a way,” Aaron Boone said to George King following last night’s win. “… A lot of big outings from pitchers and we caught the ball well. Really happy with the way guys are competing and getting after it right now.”

After that game last night, I’m hoping for a bit of a laugher tonight. Score early and often, and cruise to the finish line, you know? I think we all deserve that after last night. After the last two games, really. Sunday was a battle too. Anyway, here are tonight’s lineups:

New York Yankees
1. 3B DJ LeMahieu
2. DH Luke Voit
3. CF Brett Gardner
4. SS Gleyber Torres
5. 1B Mike Ford
6. RF Mike Tauchman
7. C Austin Romine
8. 2B Thairo Estrada
9. LF Tyler Wade

RHP Domingo German

Los Angeles Angels
1. RF Kole Calhoun
2. CF Mike Trout
3. 1B Justin Bour
4. SS Andrelton Simmons
5. DH Albert Pujols
6. LF Brian Goodwin
7. C Kevan Smith
8. 2B Tommy La Stella
9. 3B David Fletcher

RHP Chris Stratton


Another picture perfect evening in Anaheim. Probably. I didn’t bother to check. Tonight’s game will begin at 10:07pm ET and the YES Network will have the broadcast. Enjoy the game.

Injury Updates: Clint Frazier (ankle) has some swelling, but he feels good and is available tonight. Boone held him out of the lineup as a precaution.

Roster Move: As expected, Jonathan Loaisiga was called up earlier today, the Yankees announced. He is available out of the bullpen following last night’s marathon. A big lead and Loaisiga finishing the game would be ideal. Joe Harvey was sent down in a corresponding move.

Filed Under: Game Threads Tagged With: Clint Frazier, Joe Harvey, Jonathan Loaisiga

Clint Frazier’s breakout and his early season success against breaking balls

April 23, 2019 by Mike

(Presswire)

If there is a silver lining to all these injuries the Yankees have suffered this season, it is Clint Frazier getting an opportunity to play every single game. His own injury problems (oblique in 2017, concussion in 2018) cost him big league time the last two years, and the Yankees initially planned to send him to Triple-A for regular at-bats this year, but injuries forced their hand and Frazier is now hitting in the middle of a their depleted lineup.

“(My confidence is) already high when I wake up in the morning,” Frazier told Brendan Kuty over the weekend. “But when we’re having results and the team is going out there and we’re fighting through things, hopefully it rubs off on everybody because everyone else’s confidence is rubbing off on me right now, too.”

Going into last night’s late West Coast game Frazier was hitting .339/.358/.661 (163 wRC+) with six home runs and a .341 BABIP that isn’t so high that we should expect a big crash at some point. Clint has always had a lightning quick bat and, right now, he is squaring the ball up on the regular:

(Statcast defines Sweet Spot as a batted ball with a launch angle between 8° and 32°. That launch angle range tends to produce the best results.)

Frazier has trimmed his overall strikeout rate from 30.6% with the Yankees in 2017-18 to 20.9% in the early going this year. He hasn’t walked a whole bunch yet (4.5%), but Frazier has a much better than league average 25.2% chase rate, so he’s swinging at the right pitches. Give it time and I expect his walk rate to tick up. It’s not unusual for a young player to sharpen his approach with experience.

“We’ve never questioned the ability or the talent,” Aaron Boone told Kuty. “… He’s come up here and obviously shown to be a really good Major League hitter. The way he controls the strike zone, the way he can impact the ball with his talent and his bat speed, he’s a dangerous man when he walks up to the plate.”

April is an awful time for baseball analysis because everything is a small sample and it’s close to impossible to know what’s legit and what’s noise. What we do know right now is Frazier is having much more success against breaking pitches in the early going this season than the last two years. Here are the numbers against curveballs and sliders:

% AVG (xAVG) SLG (xSLG) wOBA (xwOBA) Whiff Chase EV LA
2017-18 30.3 .231 (.235) .431 (.457) .294 (.309) 41.4% 28.6% 89.5 10.5
2019 38.2 .304 (.285) .696 (.589) .385 (.353) 38.8% 23.1% 93.7 20.0
MLB AVG 28.9 .217 (.215) .375 (.362) .278 (.276) 35.1% 30.1% 87.1 12.1

In the early going Frazier’s actual results and expected results (based on exit velocity and launch angle and all that) against breaking balls are well above the MLB average. When he has swung, he has missed more than average, but he’s not chasing out of the zone and his contact is very good. I don’t buy Frazier (or any player) as a true talent .300 hitter and near .700 slugger against breaking balls. The underlying data is strong though.

Of course, we are not even four weeks into the new season, and this could all be small sample noise. I wish I could give you assurances it is not but I can’t do it. I do know Frazier looks very confident at the plate, and he seems very disciplined in that he is swinging at the right pitches, so that’s good. He is definitely passing the eye test. Clint also has the pedigree as a former high draft pick (fifth overall in 2013) and top prospect.

Another thing we know: Frazier adjusted his setup at the plate this season. Specifically, he worked with hitting coach Marcus Thames to widen his stance in Spring Training, which helps him see the ball longer and let it travel deeper in the zone. Clint’s bat speed allows him to still get those pitches. Here is Frazier’s stance over the years:

A new setup at the plate, as well as improved confidence and the fact Frazier was a slightly above-average producer against breaking balls in his limited big league time the last two years suggests this year’s performance may be for real. This isn’t a terrible hitter against breaking balls suddenly becoming a great hitter against breaking balls. It’s an already good hitter with talent and some mechanical adjustments becoming an even better one.

Because it’s still so early in the season, we have no choice but to take a wait and see approach. Eventually pitchers will adjust to Frazier and find a weakness, and try to exploit it, and it’ll be up to him to adjust back. Perhaps that adjustment will be even more breaking balls because damn, Clint is hammering fastballs (.353 AVG and .588 SLG), and breaking balls are generally more difficult to hit, this year’s results notwithstanding.

For now, Frazier has helped the Yankees stay afloat through all the injuries, and he’s giving the team a reason to keep him in the lineup once everyone gets healthy. Left field is wide open long-term and the Yankees have a highly regarded young player who sure seems to be breaking out. It’s exciting. It would be more exciting without all the injuries, but it is exciting nonetheless. Frazier looks like the impact player he was projected to be when he first joined the organization three years ago.

“He got pushed into a position where we’re counting on him and others, and he’s stepping up, and you have to give him real props. That’s the stuff he lives for,” Brian Cashman said during a recent radio interview. “He’s the one right now that I think people are gonna be careful to pitch around, because he’s got a good mojo going and he feels good about what he’s doing. He knows he’s impacting us, so his confidence is sky-high right now.”

Filed Under: Analysis Tagged With: Clint Frazier

Yankeemetrics: Crash Landing in Houston (April 8-10)

April 11, 2019 by Katie Sharp

(Getty)

April 8: Bullpen Bummer
The Yankees road trip continued to Houston and the series began with a familiar story: another wasted another gem by Masahiro Tanaka as the much-hyped bullpen blew a late lead and instead the Yankees end up with a painful loss.

Since joining the Astros in late-summer 2017 — and prior to Monday — Justin Verlander had dominated the Yankees, allowing just two runs in 30 2/3 IP (0.59 ERA). Somehow the Yankees finally made him look human, scoring three runs in six innings off him. Aaron Judge had two hits — including an opposite-field laser shot into the rightfield seats — and a walk; entering this series, Judge was 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts against Verlander, his worst 0-fer vs any pitcher.

Tanaka was stellar in holding the Astros to one run on three hits in six innings. His 1.47 ERA is easily the best of his MLB career through this first three starts. It’s also a near-360 reversal from his notable early-season struggles in recent years, when he had a 5.19 ERA last year and a 8.36 ERA in 2017 after three turns.

Adam Ottavino allowed the go-ahead run after issuing a one-out walk and consecutive singles by Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa, the latter a dribbler towards first base that went 22 feet and had an exit velocity of 28.9 mph. Prior to that meltdown, Ottavino had not allowed a hit or run in his first five appearances of the season.

(USA Today)

April 9: Bullpen Bummer II
Another day, another game, another brutal and crushing loss thanks another bullpen implosion.

Luke Voit staked the Yankees to an early 1-0 lead with a solo homer to dead-center field. We know Voit has big muscles, and one good use for those big muscles is destroying baseballs to the farthest reaches of the park, notably deep center field. Since the start of last season (through Tuesday), 384 players had hit at least 40 balls to center; Voit’s 1.065 slugging percentage on batted balls to center ranked first in that group.

On Tuesday it was Jonathan Holder and Chad Green’s turn to play the starring roles in the late-inning collapse. Holder allowed the game-tying run in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley.

Bregman’s double was the result of a bad defensive misplay and awkward dive by Clint Frazier. Per Statcast tracking, the ball had a catch probability of 95 percent. (Catch probability is defined as the likelihood that a batted ball to the outfield will be caught, based on four data points: 1. How far did the fielder have to go? 2. How much time did he have to get there? 3. What direction did he need to go in? 4. Was proximity to the wall a factor?)

Through Tuesday, Frazier had three batted balls hit to him with a catch probability of less than 99 percent (routine play) but greater than 50 percent (50/50 play). He missed the catch on all three of those defensive plays.

Green took the loss, charged with the three runs allowed in eighth. It was the first appearance of his career that he gave up at least three runs and got fewer than three outs.

Knowing that it’s still super-early into the season and that the following stats get the small-sample-size warning, here are some numbers to chew on (through Tuesday’s games):

  • Three blown saves and four bullpen losses were both tied for the MLB lead
  • Two losses (Monday and Tuesday) when leading at the end of the sixth inning; only Cubs and Rockies had more (3). Yankees last year had only five such losses, tied for fewest in MLB.
  • Four losses when tied at the end of the seventh inning, the most in MLB this season. Yankees had only seven last year.
(Getty)

April 10: Paxton Pummeled
At least there was no lead for the bullpen to blow on Wednesday night. That’s about the only “positive” thing you can say about the terrible 8-6 loss they suffered as the road trip came to a depressing end in Houston, capping the first-ever series sweep by the Astros over the Yankees. Is this a good time to mention that there are still 150 games left in the season?

The Yankees and its fans were feeling pretty good three pitches into the game when Gardy went Yardy for his 15th career leadoff homer but those good feelings were quickly erased when James Paxton coughed up a solo homer to Jose Altuve and an RBI triple by Yuli Gurriel in the bottom of the frame. Paxton dominated the Astros in four starts last year (4-0, 2.05 ERA) and had a 1.89 ERA in eight starts against them from 2017-18, but this game was a complete disaster:

James Paxton vs Astros
IP Runs HR Batters Faces
2019 4 5 2 21
2018 26.1 6 1 105

Despite Paxton’s track record of success against the Astros, this loss was hardly surprising based on more recent team trends:

  • The Yankees fell to 4-6 when scoring first this season. Last year they had the second-best record when scoring first, winning 81 percent of those games. On average, teams that score first go on to win 66 percent of the time.
  • This was the 11th time in 12 games this season that the Yankees held a lead … and they are 5-6 in those games. Last year they had a .797 win percentage in such games. The only other teams this season with a below-.500 record when leading at any point in the game are the Red Sox (3-6) and Royals (2-7).
  • Eight of their 12 games have been decided by two runs or fewer, and they are 2-6 in those games, one of the five worst marks in MLB. Last year the Yankees had a .561 win percentage in those games, seventh-best in the majors.

The Yankees put their rally caps on in the eighth inning and mounted a gutsy near-comeback to pull within a run. But Gary Sanchez, inserted in the lineup to pinch hit for Tyler Wade with two outs and a man on third, struck out to end the inning. In a very small sample, El Gary has been … umm … not good when coming to the plate cold off the bench:

Gary Sanchez as Pinch Hitter:
9 PA
0 Hits
7 strikeouts
0 walks
0 Sac Flies

— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) April 11, 2019

Filed Under: Players Tagged With: Aaron Judge, Adam Ottavino, Chad Green, Clint Frazier, Gary Sanchez, Houston Astros, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Yankeemetrics

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