BRADENTON, Fla. – During the final week of each season, Pirates management conducts exit interviews with each of their players.
Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle review their seasons, talk about offseason plans and look ahead to the following year. Normally, those interviews do not contain many surprises.
However, Adam Frazier got some big news during his exit interview last September. The utility player was told that he would almost certainly be the starting second baseman in 2019, as Josh Harrison was set to become a free agent.
“They said it wasn’t quite set in stone but to be prepared,” Frazier said.
Frazier is indeed prepared for the opportunity as he enters his fourth season. His body is more toned than ever before, and the 27-year-old left-handed hitter says he is ready to handle a regular workload.
Despite his low-key nature, Frazier is obviously excited about the upcoming season.
“I’ll continue to work hard and run with the opportunity,” he told me at the Pirates’ spring training camp. “It’s a little different coming into spring knowing that I’m going to be playing one position, and focus on that instead of bouncing around all over the field. I just want to roll with everything. I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to show what I can do.”
Frazier has proven to be a capable utility player. He has hit .280/.345/.422 with 18 home runs in 300 career games, starting 95 times at second base, 61 in left field, 20 in right field, five in center field, three at third base and one at shortstop.
While Frazier has provided a spark with his bat, his defense has been called into question by some scouts.
However, the Pirates are confident Frazier can provide at least solid defense and maybe more. He had four defensive runs saved last season in 55 games at second base. By comparison, the two-time All-Star Harrison had minus-2 in 87 games.
“Our internal metrics also like Adam’s defense at second base,” Huntington said. “We feel being able to concentrate on one position is going to make a big difference.”
Frazier has some defensive chops. During his final season at Mississippi State, before being drafted in the sixth round in 2013, opposing coaches selected him as the best defensive shortstop in the Southeastern Conference.
“It’s huge, especially in the infield,” Frazier said of playing one position regularly. “In the outfield, you can bounce around a little bit and adjust on the run. But in the infield, you’re a lot closer to the action. You’ve got to react quicker and there is more of an adjustment at each position as to how the ball comes off the bat.
“It’ll be good to take regular ground balls at second base, get in a rhythm around the bag with turning double plays. I think it’s going to help a lot.”
Who Frazier’s double-play partner will be remains to be seen. Acquired from the Indians in a November trade, Erik Gonzalez will compete with rookie Kevin Newman for the starting shortstop job during the exhibition season, which begins Saturday.
The Pirates are also counting on Frazier to provide a spark from the top of the batting order to an offense that finished 19th in the major leagues with an average of 4.3 runs-scored a game last season.
Frazier has hit just .257/.320/.369 in 582 plate appearances as a leadoff hitter in his career. However, he insists he is comfortable batting in the No. 1 spot.
“That’s what I’ve done my whole life,” Frazier said. “It’s a little different in the National League because of the pitchers hitting, so sometimes you have to take a pitch that you’d like to hit. Whether it’s up or down in the lineup, though, I just like to hit. Whatever they need.”
Wherever he hits, Hurdle is confident Frazier will help improve the lineup as a full-time player.
“I’d like to see us keep his legs underneath him, keep him strong, keep him fresh because we can use the offense, especially at the top of the order,” Hurdle said.
Frazier has also started to develop power, hitting 10 home runs in 352 plate appearances last season. Conversely, he went deep just three times in 1,670 trips to the plate in six minor-league seasons.
The Pirates were just 25th in the majors last season with 157 homers.
"I think he found something that works, and he can replicate it,” Hurdle said of Frazier’s new-found power stroke. “The beauty of it, though, is pitchers saw a whole different Adam Frazier in the second half of the season. They’ll counter-punch. But the workable swing he’s got right now, there is power, there is intent and there is ability to drive the ball. There is no reason for him to make any adjustments right now.”
Frazier needed to adjust last season as he was demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis for a six-week stretch in mid-June after hitting .237/.318/.356 with three home runs in 55 games. After returning to the Pirates, he posted a .306/.360/.530 line with seven homers in 57 games.
Frazier’s father spotted a flaw in his son’s swing before he was sent to the minors. Frazier’s hands were too low, causing his swing to get started late.
“I guess I should have listened after a month or so,” Frazier said with a smile. “I made that change and I just felt good, back to normal.”
Frazier’s new normal will be playing every day. A scout who has watched him regularly throughout his major-league career believes Frazier can handle it.
“What he did at the end of last season was real,” the scout told DKPittsburghSports.com. “It wasn’t a fluky couple of months. He hit the ball hard. I really think he can pop 15 home runs a year now and he also has good speed, which makes him a weapon at the top of the order. He’s a good little player. I think people are going to be surprised by him this year.”
