Reggie Jackson has heard Clint Frazier talk about seizing what may be his best chance yet with the Yankees. He’s heard Frazier also talk about being a role model of sorts, wanting to wear his face mask while he plays to set an example in the age of the coronavirus.
And if Jackson were in the room for the times this season when manager Aaron Boone has said he’s seen Frazier mature and grow, the Hall of Famer would have smiled.
“That’s what I see (Frazier) doing,” Jackson said via phone interview earlier this week, “is developing into a young man.”
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Jackson has liked what he’s seen this season Frazier, one of the most polarizing figures in the organization from the moment he arrived.
Jackson, a special advisor with the club, attributes it to a change in mindset for the 25-year-old former top prospect.
“No matter what someone tells you, no matter what kind of map somebody gives you to get to the treasure, you’ve got to manage that trail and that path yourself,” Jackson said. “And that’s what he’s doing.”
Frazier has gotten off to a hot start, hitting .333 with a pair of homers in eight games since getting called up to take over for the injured Giancarlo Stanton. He collected seven hits in his first 11 at-bats. And though he’s cooled lately (two for his last 16), he continues to have good at-bats and his defense has improved markedly from last year.
With Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres each on the injured list as well, Frazier’s production has never been more important for the Yankees, who were tied with the Rays atop the American League East entering Saturday.
Jackson said he believes Frazier might have started to really turn things around in June of last season. That was when he said he was the target of unfair criticism from the media while standing in the visiting clubhouse in Toronto, a night after he blew off speaking to reporters following a horrific night in the field vs. the Red Sox.
About two weeks later, Frazier was sent back to Triple-A, where he stayed until September call-ups.
“He got a little sideways with the organization,” Jackson said. Jackson added that general manager Brian Cashman “put a voice on him. A few of us backed up that voice. And he went back to the minor leagues because he was wanting to blame somebody else.
“But I think he took a hard look at himself, didn’t like what he saw and got it figured out.”
Jackson, a special advisor for the club, and Frazier have known each other since Frazier first arrived following a trade that sent reliever Andrew Miller to Cleveland at the 2016 deadline. Jackson has at times played mentor to the Georgia native and 2013 fifth overall pick.
Jackson said that Boone, hitting coach Marcus Thames and Cashman have been big influences on Frazier, among others.
Tough love has been the best tool at times for Frazier.
“He got stood up a couple of times, got poked into chest by the right person, if you will,” Jackson said of Frazier.
Jackson said the off-field things that put Frazier in the headlines — his hair, his sneakers for cleats or his social media accounts — will matter much less when he’s productive on the field.
“If I could come back now and hit 50 homers and have a new style of wearing my socks up over my knees … it looks stupid,” Jackson said. “But if I hit 50 home runs, a lot of people are going to start changing their style of how they wear the pants.”
Jackson said he likes seeing Frazier’s new focus.
“It’s forgetting the outside things that can get in your path,” Jackson said, “and having the focus of holding on to the reins, keeping the horse on the rails, so you can get it down to the stretch.”
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
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