Pittsburgh Pirates: Utility Prospect Adam Frazier Called Up

According to many Pirate prospects on twitter, super-utility prospect Adam Frazier has received a promotion to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Frazier, who is 24 years of age, has been hammering the ball at Triple-A Indianapolis this season. On the year his batting average sat a remarkable .333. To go along with his great average, the 2013 sixth round pick got on base at a .401 clip for the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Not only has Frazier provided quality offensive performances, he has also provided flexibility in the field. So far this year, Frazier has seen time at second-base, shortstop, left-field, and center-field. He is what baseball people like to call a super-utility player, the ability to play multiple infield and outfield positions. On RumBunter he listed as the Pirates #21st best prospect in the organization. The new call-up bats left-handed and throws right-handed.

As mentioned earlier Frazier was a sixth round pick in 2013. He was a college player and came from Mississippi State. When coming out of college in 2013, he was viewed as a a good short stop, but lacked elite tools to push him up draft boards. He also lacked the idea size standing at only 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds. He was never projected to develop much power, but showed great plate discipline and the ability to square up pitches and hit line drives. He also was viewed as solid defender with an above average arm.

These were notes about Frazier when he was drafted. They all are true. He has not developed power, and plays a good defense at any position he is put at. The one thing that was wrong is that many said Frazier lacked an elite tool. They were wrong because he possesses the ability to get on-base. This is relatively a new tool to the game, as it is becoming a more important stat with each passing year. Frazier does a great job of working counts, taking walks, and putting the ball in play to all fields.

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He has proven the ability to get on base in the minors. For his career in 350 games played since 2013, Frazier owns a .299 batting average with a .363 on-base-percentage. His numbers have increased each year in the minors. This year as mentioned earlier he is batting .333 with a .401 OBP. However, what is even more impressive is that he has walked 29 times while only striking out 27 times.

His numbers are really ideal for a player that does own a prototypical elite tool. With his ability to be a tough out and play multiple positions he could be the Pirate’s future utility man. The most recent one has been Sean Rodriguez, and before him was none other than Josh Harrison. Harrison had a similar profile while playing in the minors. No matter how much he hit, he was always called under-sized and lacking that next level tool. However, Josh Harrison made his way to the majors because he was athletic enough to play multiple positions and could hit a lot of singles and get on base in his minor league career.

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I am not saying Adam Frazier will be competing for the batting title the way Josh Harrison did in just two years of starting his career. However, I do believe that Frazier has the potential to be a very solid bench piece for this team for the next few years. If continues to do what he has done in the minors, in terms of getting on base and playing all over the field, he could find himself challenging for a position one day. For now, let us hope that he can help provide a spark to a team that desperately needs one. Welcome to the Pittsburgh Pirates Adam Frazier.

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