Clint Frazier fitting in well with White Sox after ‘rollercoaster’ Yankees tenure
As Clint Frazier stood by his locker in Yankee Stadium’s visiting clubhouse, he couldn’t help but flash a smile on a face featuring a bushy red beard and a nose ring.
The former Yankee, now a member of the White Sox, returned to the Bronx for the first time on Tuesday. While Frazier didn’t start for Chicago, he took questions from New York reporters and rehashed his tumultuous Yankees tenure before the game.
“Rollercoaster,” the outfielder said when asked to sum up his time with the Yankees, which ranged from 2016-2021. “A lot of good times, a lot of hard times. But ultimately, more good than bad.”
Frazier, 28, spent the first five years of his career with the Yankees after they acquired him from Cleveland in the Andrew Miller trade. The Yankees designated Frazier for assignment in November 2021 after he hit .239/.327/.434 with 29 home runs and 97 RBI over 228 games from 2017-2021.
A former top prospect, Frazier showed plenty of potential with the Yankees. But concussions limited his opportunities — he hid his second one from the team — and he proved to be a lightning-rod for unwanted attention.
There were stories about the length of Frazier’s hair and him reportedly asking for Mickey Mantle’s retired No. 7, which he denied doing. Frazier also took issue when broadcaster Michael Kay criticized him for missing time with a concussion in 2018, and he made waves for ducking reporters following multiple defensive mishaps in 2019. When Frazier eventually spoke days later, he expressed that coverage of him had been unfair. He added that he’s had a tough time fitting in throughout his life.
That doesn’t appear to be the case in Chicago, though.
“I’m very fortunate with this group of guys because this clubhouse is — I like these guys,” Frazier said. “I fit in really well. The coaching staff has accepted me.”
Frazier was then asked if being away from the Yankees — he’s also had stops with the Cubs and Rangers — has allowed him to be himself more. To which he replied, “I don’t want to say 100 percent yes, and I don’t want to say 100 percent no. You know what I mean? Because ultimately, it is different [in New York]. And it’s a privilege.”
He continued, “Being in this organization and seeing how they maneuver, and then leaving and going to another one, you do look back and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ There was some good, and then there was some stuff where it was like, OK. Where the beard falls in, you can let your imagination go with where I’m at with that. But all I ever wanted with baseball was to show up and be able to be myself and be able to go out there and feel comfortable and play baseball the way that I know that I can. There was a lot of times that I felt that way, even without facial hair. So take it as it is.”
While Frazier’s time in pinstripes encompassed turmoil, he said that he still keeps in touch with a lot of people in the Yankees organization.
That includes Brian Cashman, the person Frazier was most looking forward to seeing during Chicago’s three-game series in the Big Apple. Frazier said the two already spoke on Tuesday.
“I’m gonna chop it up with him at some point,” Frazier said before adding, “He was always fair to me and always told me exactly how it was, and that’s all you can ask for it. Just the upfront honesty, and he’s about as honest as it gets.”
Frazier went on to say that he always believed Cashman liked him, and he felt the general manager was helping him when the Yankees DFA’d him. Still, he never thought about a reunion with the Yankees, who were — and remain — in need of a let fielder over the offseason.
Frazier expected to part ways with the Yankees in November 2021. He believed the decision was based on his health, but he couldn’t say for sure if non-baseball factors played a part.
“I genuinely don’t have the answer of exactly where their thought process was as far as like why we’re going to go the other way,” he said. “I did get DFA’d the night of the Rule 5 draft, so I think some of it had to do with keeping guys on verzus letting guys go. But we went through some stuff behind the scenes that certainly may have played a role. I don’t know. I don’t want to sit here and tell you that I know exactly why. I’m assuming it had to do with the fact that my concussion issues were withholding me from playing the game.”
Regardless of the reason, it wasn’t a shock when Frazier’s stint in New York ended. Between the concussions, turbulence and a .186 average in 2021, the one-time starter no longer had a clear future with the Yankees.
Was it a relief when he and the club split up?
“The biggest thing for me was we don’t always get along with our coworkers,” Frazier said in response to that question. “And for me to kind of be in a new environment was needed. I think for me, and maybe some other people. And I don’t say that with any ill will. I’m just speaking to how it is. Not everyone likes each other.”
Now, however, Frazier feels comfortable and healthy. He’s lost about 17 pounds and is playing under 200 pounds for the first time since high school. That’s allowed him to run faster than ever, which in turn has led to him being a late-inning defensive replacement.
Frazier finds that ironic, as his defense was often a problem with the Yankees.
Entering Tuesday, Frazier was only hitting .231/.333/.308 over 11 games with the White Sox. He hasn’t hit a home run in the majors since 2021. But he’s happy to do whatever the South Siders ask of him.
He just wants to stick on a team.
“I’m just happy to be in Major League Baseball again. I genuinely went through a really, really tough time with that [concussion] stuff. It put stuff into perspective of like, life is hard as it is. And when life’s hard, it’s gonna make your job hard,” Frazier said. “And these [pitchers] are nasty. If you’re not seeing straight, it’s like, what good am I?
“I had to be honest with myself. I tried to play through the stuff when I wasn’t healthy. I tried. Didn’t look good. I gave it my best when I was healthy and when I was unhealthy. That’s honestly something that I am proud of.”
