Twenty-seven picks after the Indians took Clint Frazier into the concept seven years ago, the Yankees selected Aaron Judge.
Since then, the careers of the outside planner have traveled very different paths. Judge developed him into one of the most dynamic players in baseball and after joining the Yankees from the Indians four years ago, Frazier made more headlines to pay attention to himself in various ways than he did before his playing. on the field.
Then there was Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, where judge did not appear because of lower body. That left right field goal opened in the line-up of Aaron Boone and he went with the right hand to hit Frazier over left-turning Mike Tauchman against Braves right-back Huascar Ynoa.
It was one of Boone’s better moves, as Frazier turned in a mini-judge in his first game of the season and the Yankees (12-6) led to a 6-3 victory. Frazier went 3-for-4 with a homer in the second, a single in the third and a double in the fifth.
Frazier was promoted from the alternative side on Tuesday to replace Gostercarlo Stanton, and had to wait a day to deliver the kind of performance he gets what he desires: chances to see the Yankees, despite a full field of very good players, he can help.
‘Tonight was my first real game of 2020. There have been a lot of sim games,’ ‘Frazier said of life on the alternative site in Scranton. ‘It felt good to get immediate results. It will not be so easy every time I step to the plate. It felt good. I’m just excited I had to play tonight. ”
Before the second straight win of the Yankees holding their 1 ½ games for the Rays in the AL East, Boone said he believed Frazier could be ‘an impact player’ in the major leagues. For at least one night, the impact was judge-like.
Introducing the 2013 concept, Frazier, a high school teacher from Georgia, was the favorite of the Showcase Circuit. Judge was a hulking college slugger in California. Frazier went fifth to the Indians; the Yankees took Judge with the 32nd pick. For one night, the big league roles were reversed.
‘That’s just a great night. You throw three, single, double homers, that’s a nice return, ” Boone said. ‘I’m not surprised. I feel like he’s been to a really great place this year, in the spring and summer camp, and the work he did there. Exciting to see him come and have an impact. ”
DJ LeMahieu also had a big impact, going 4-for-5 and raising his AL-leading handball average to .431.
The Braves took the early lead, thanks to Johan Camargo’s two-run homer from Masahiro Tanaka in the second. Ice-cold Gary Sanchez and Frazier hit back-to-back homers that tied the score, 2-2, in the bottom of the inning. Aaron Hicks and Gleyber Torres rode in a run each in the fourth, as did LeMahieu and Luke Voit in the fifth.
Asked to protect a four-run lead in the ninth, Jonathan Holder handed a double over to Dansby Swanson and an RBI single to Travis d’Arnaud and increased the fear level in the Yankees’ dugout. Boone turned to Zack Britton, who ran Freddie Freeman before recording the final two outs for his seventh save in equal opportunities.
So after losing five of seven games last week to the Phillies and Rays, the Yankees take on a winning streak of two games on Thursday, which will be followed by a series of four games against the putrid Red Sox in the Stadium.
Late Wednesday night, Boone said he did not know if a judge would return on Friday, but went to bed with evidence that his assessment that Frazier could be an impact player in the major leagues was accurate one night.
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