Veteran Pirates infielder is making more of an impact than you think

Despite the rocky start, Adam Frazier is starting to play good ball for the Pirates. Frazier returned to the Bucs on a one-year deal worth $1.525 million in late January, likely to be used as a utility man on rest days. Frazier had previously spent seven years with the Pirates, accumulating 10.2 WAR and hitting .283 with 204 RBI and 39 home runs.

The veteran infielder made an All-Star Game in 2021 before being traded to the Padres in the deal that landed the Pirates Jack Suwinski. In the years following the trade, Frazier has been on five different teams, accumulating just 3.9 WAR and hitting just .218 in three and a half seasons.

Adam Frazier is starting to find himself back with Pittsburgh Pirates

On Opening Day, the Pirates' starting second baseman, Nick Gonzales, fractured his ankle after a home run, leaving Frazier as the full-time second baseman for the Bucs.

After coming in for Gonzales on Opening Day, Frazier has played 178 of the Pirates' 228 innings this season, almost exclusively at second base. Despite having multiple Gold Glovers in the infield, Frazier's defensive efforts have made the biggest impact.

Frazier is tied for second on the Pirates in DWAR at 0.3, and holds a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage despite playing the second-most games on the roster. The veteran infielder also sits at 10 double plays turned for the Bucs, second only to fill-in first baseman Enmanuel Valdez. For a Pirates team that has the fourth-most errors in the MLB on the season, Frazier's defense has been very valuable.

In the hitting department, things have been up and down to start the year. Frazier started the season hitting .263 with four RBI in nearly as many games. After a solid start, he went into a six-game rut, when he reached just two times in 20 plate appearances.

Luckily, since that small slump, Frazier has been getting way more comfortable at the plate. In the last 10 games, Frazier has been slashing .290/.353/.484 with four RBI and a home run. The now 33-year-old currently holds a six-game hitting streak following Tuesday's 9-4 win over Los Angeles when he reached base on four of five plate appearances.

When the Pirates signed Frazier in late January, fans were clearly upset with the team's lack of spending in free agency. The last time the Pirates signed a free agent to a multi-year deal was in 2016, so another one-year aging infielder did not move the needle for Bucs fans. When the announcement was posted from the Pirates' X account, fans expressed their disapproval in the replies.

Looking at the first month of the season for Frazier now, I don't think Pirates fans are too upset that this deal went down. Due to Gonzales' injury, the alternative would have been mixing and matching middle infielders or having to call up a prospect that isn't ready.

When Gonzales comes back, don't expect Frazier to get nearly as much playing time as he is currently getting, but his efforts on the defensive end (and his hitting, as of recently) more than deserve to be recognized.