On the last day to protect players from being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, which was November 19, the New York Yankees designated Clint Frazier, Rougned Odor, and Tyler Wade for assignment.
Frazier, who is still 27 years old, was the fifth selection in 2013’s MLB Draft.
The Cleveland Indians traded him to the Yankees in 2016, in the Andrew Miller transaction.
However, after five years with the Bombers, he is now free to sign with any team after being released on Tuesday.
Why could Frazier, known for his impressive bat speed, not land himself in the Yankees’ plans for 2022?
He Got Multiple Chances To Establish Himself
The most obvious reason is because he failed to establish himself in multiple chances with the MLB team.
Over a span of five years, ranging from 2017 to 2021, he played 228 games and took 807 plate appearances with the Yankees.
He wasn’t a disaster at the plate: in fact, he was virtually average, with a .239/.327/.434 line, 29 home runs, 100 runs, and 97 RBI.
The problem is that the only time he could contribute above-average production, the sample size was really small, and when he was handed a chance to validate that success, he couldn’t do it.
He was brilliant in the pandemic season, 2020, with a .267/.394/.511 line, eight home runs, and lots of walks in 39 games.
But this year, when he was appointed as the Yankees’ starting left fielder, he crashed to the tune of a .186/.317/.317 line in 66 games.
He suffered vision issues and also dizziness, which probably contributed to his fall, but his failure to get going at the plate, his bad defense, and the Yankees’ need for roster spots resulted in his release.
They Were In A Roster Crunch
Perhaps if the roster was larger, the Yankees would have been able to keep Frazier around to see if he could rebound with full health.
After all, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recently said the player is no longer experiencing dizziness or vision issues.
However, the Yankees needed roster spots to protect some of their most prized prospects from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.
Prospects who have spent a specific amount of time in the minors need to be added to the 40-man roster in order for the team to protect them from being exposed to other clubs.
In the Rule 5 Draft, these teams can take unprotected players with the condition of guaranteeing him a roster spot all season long.
If they don’t keep them on the roster for the whole year, they have to be returned.
The Yankees wanted to protect five players: pitchers JP Sears, Ron Marinaccio, and Stephen Ridings, outfielder Everson Pereira, and infielder Oswaldo Cabrera.
Today, the Yankees have made the following roster moves:
•Added INF Oswaldo Cabrera, RHP Ron Marinaccio, OF Everson Pereira, RHP Stephen Ridings and LHP JP Sears to the Major League roster.
•Designated OF Clint Frazier, INF Rougned Odor and INF Tyler Wade for assignment.— New York Yankees (@Yankees) November 19, 2021
There was a very high chance that all of them would have been picked by other teams in the draft if they were left unprotected.
That’s why Frazier, Odor, and Wade had to lose their roster spot in order to open space for them.
Clint Frazier will flourish if someone just gives him the chance to play everyday. I believe.
— Liam Fennessy (@LiamFennessy_) November 23, 2021
However, the primary reason was performance-related, as Frazier and the other two hitters just couldn’t produce at the level the Yankees expect.
Frazier has the talent to surge somewhere else, but he will need patience.
NEXT: Who Is The Yankees' Ace In 2022?