-1600x900.webp)
MILWAUKEE -- While the Pirates were in an early hole against the Padres on Thursday afternoon, Adam Frazier had a chance to make a game out of what turned out to be a snoozer of an 8-3 loss.
The Pirates loaded the bases with two outs in the second inning, but Frazier bailed Chris Paddack out of the jam with a little dribbler on the first pitch. The moment was uncharacteristic of Frazier and proof that he’d gotten away from an approach to situational hitting that’s benefitted him throughout his career.
“You kind of lock in a little more with runners in scoring position. Pitchers kind of has to give you something to hit most of the time,’ Frazier said before Saturday night’s game against the Brewers. “The pitcher's the one that's in the tough spot. So, if you can stay within yourself and make him come to you, you usually have some success. And that's just what I try to do.”
Frazier is a lifetime .301 hitter with 141 RBIs when hitting with runners in scoring position. It’s really the best quality of a player that already does a lot of things well. Through the early part of the season, Frazier has six hits and nine RBIs with runners in scoring position.
His latest instance of clutch hitting was during Friday night’s 6-1 victory in Milwaukee. Frazier faced left-handed reliever Brent Suter and rolled a triple down the right-field line to plate a pair of runs.
The triple was Frazier’s only hit in seven at-bats against left-handers this season. Derek Shelton has been open about his desire to be flexible with lineup construction. And with lefty Brett Anderson getting the start for Milwaukee on Saturday, Frazier was dropped from his usual spot at the top of the order to the No. 7 hole.
Shelton said he trusts Frazier’s approach against lefties and wanted to lengthen the lineup, meaning have some of the better hitters lower in the order. Frazier wasn’t fazed by his place in the lineup, and says he prepares to face lefties at any time -- which could be quite often with three southpaws in the Brewers’ bullpen.
“I think the biggest thing for left-hander vs. left is just getting in the zone,” Shelton explained. “You don’t see as many left-handed pitchers, even when you’re coming through the minor leagues. ... The big thing for left-handers consistently is making sure you keep left-handed pitchers in the hitting zone.”
After an incredible spring in which he batted .488 in Grapefruit League ball, Frazier opened the regular season with just three hits in his first 18 at-bats (.167). Frazier attributed the tremendous spring to an adjustment with his hands, and Shelton noticed that Frazier was getting too “rotational” during the difficult stretch -- meaning the bat wasn’t going directly to the inside of the ball. Frazier seems to have figured out the best way to avoid this mistake.
“Just trying to hit it to the middle of the field, really, with the hands to the body to stay inside the baseball,” he said. “Sometimes you get rotational and you see a pitch in and try to pull instead of just getting to the inside part and letting it happen. That’s the key.”
A side effect of Frazier’s shortened stroke has been an uptick in balls put in play to the opposite field. He’s typically hit the ball the other way around 30 percent of the time throughout his career. But so far in 2021, he’s going to left field on 41.3 percent of his balls in play.
“ At times, I get a little pull-happy and then, the next thing you know, I’m getting myself out,” Frazier said. “So, really just staying inside the baseball and hitting the ball where it’s pitched.”
MORE FROM PREGAME
• No news is good news when it comes to Ke’Bryan Hayes’ return from the injured list with wrist discomfort. Hayes was able to take batting practice on the field instead of in the cage for the first time in his rehab. But he did so without much intensity and is still working at a slowed pace.
• The effects of Gregory Polanco’s work to improve his timing at the plate have taken shape this week. Polanco launched a two-run homer against “the airbender” -- the moniker that was given to the devastating changeup thrown by 2020 Rookie of the Year Devin Williams -- on Friday. It was the first homer Williams has ever allowed with his changeup, and the second homer in three games for Polanco.
“I think the biggest point is the timing aspect of it. He’s at a better position to hit more consistently,” Shelton said. “He has adjusted some other things mechanically, he and Rick [Eckstein] and Christian [Marrero]. But all those work in combination to make sure that he’s in a better position to hit.”
Shelton said that the longer, lankier Polanco will have greater challenges when it comes to getting his body in a rhythm for a swing.
“You’re always tinkering with it because it’s hard to get synced up. Guys who are short and have really short strokes, it’s easier to sync up because there’s not as much room for error,” Shelton said. “With guys who are big, it takes a long time. The common answer for most big guys is they’re always tinkering with it because you’re seeing different pitches, you’re seeing different movements for pitchers. You’re seeing stretch. You’re seeing windup. You’re seeing slide step. It’s kind of an ongoing process.”
That information might be something worth keeping in mind when a certain 6-foot-7 shortstop makes his potential MLB debut later this season.
