Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Who Could Be Adam Frazier 2.0

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Mike Jarvis in the 6th round of the 2021 draft, but he draws many similarities to former infielder Adam Frazier.

Mike Jarvis was one of the lesser talked about draft selections made by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2021 MLB Draft. The contact-hitting, speedy utility man was the team’s 6th round draft pick out of San Diego State University.

Jarvis was an under-slot pick after the Pittsburgh Pirates had selected Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler, and Lonnie White Jr., and later on in the 14th round, Braylon Bishop. But there is a striking resemblance between him and another former 6th round pick, Adam Frazier.

In terms of just profile, the two are very similar. They’re not power hitters but provide a good batting average while avoiding strikeouts. They also offer defensive versatility as they can move around the diamond. Both were considered speedy infielders/outfielders when the Pirates drafted them.

Throughout college, Jarvis hit .325/.398/.496. Meanwhile, Frazier hit .348/.418/.429. Now while Jarvis hit for a noticeable amount of more power, the differences between on-base percentage and batting average are very close. Both were also very good at avoiding K’s. Frazier struck out 8.6% of the time, Jarvis 12.5%. Frazier did have a 10.2% walk rate while Jarvis had a 6.8% rate, but the overall production was within the ballpark of each other. Jarvis: .391 wOBA/.894 OPS. Frazer: .377 wOBA/.847 OPS.

Both Jarvis and Frazier have almost identical builds. Currently, Jarvis is listed at 5’10″, 180 pounds, and Frazier is at 5’10”, 185 pounds. Jarvis could always add five pounds, though, just training and building muscle now that he’s part of an organization with professional trainers and conditioners.

Now granted a Frazier outlook isn’t the best outlook ever. Throughout his career, Frazier has only been about a league-average hitter with a 103 wRC+ who only averages 2-2.5 fWAR a year. But you have to remember that Jarvis was a massive under-slot pick, and his slot value was just over $315,000, and he signed for $7,500, mainly because he was a college senior with no other choice.

There are many similarities between Frazier and Jarvis. Both are contact hitters, and both avoid strikeouts a lot. Both play multiple positions, and both have above-average speed. This, to me, makes Jarvis one of the more underrated prospects in the system. If the Pirates can find a similar player to Frazier in Jarvis, then I think they utilized their 6th round under slot pick reasonably well.