Call-Up Worthy Q&A: Clint Frazier

In the second installment of a Q&A series with Esurance #CallUpWorthy 2017 player ambassadors, MiLB.com spoke with New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier about joining one of the most storied franchises in sports, being promoted into a playoff race, the atmosphere in the youthful Yankees clubhouse and, of course, his hair.
Clint Frazier has always been an attention-grabbing figure. Cleveland's first-round pick in 2013, he was quickly installed as baseball's No. 51 overall prospect, and from his production -- 50 home runs and 43 stolen bases over his first three full seasons in the Minors -- to his long locks of red hair, there always seemed to be a story surrounding the talented outfielder.
The Indians' 2016 run to the World Series was fueled in part by trading Frazier, along with Justus Sheffield and others, to the Yankees for reliever Andrew Miller. Following an adjustment period at the end of that year, Frazier homered 12 times and drove in 42 runs in 74 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2017 before getting the call to the Majors on July 1.

We talked to the 23-year-old about switching organizations, his first big league experience and more:
MiLB.com: You've admitted that the end of last season was difficult for you after being traded. What changed this year to make things easier and allow you to get back on track?
Frazier: I think just being comfortable with the whole system around me. Last year it was kind of the fear of the unknown, and I wanted to prove it to everyone since I got traded. This year that was done with. I got more familiar with the guys once we went to big league camp, and I got to be around the system from top to bottom, and that really helped me feel comfortable with the guys and go out there and be myself.
MiLB.com: There's always been a lot of talk about your hair, and New York only accentuated that. Was it at all tiring or did you enjoy everything that came with it?

Frazier: It's tiring after a while. The whole point of it is I never wanted to be known for my hair more than my ability. I felt like the media blew it out of proportion in a lot of ways and kind of used me as a target early on to write some stuff about. I've wanted it to be over with; that's why I decided to cut it all off and look like more of Yankee, and I embraced that. Once I cut it, you could see all around people were excited I finally bought into the look of a Yankee. I'm just proud to be here, and if cutting my hair is something I have to do to show these guys I'm all for it, that's what I'll do.
MiLB.com: What's it like being part of a franchise with the rich history New York has?
Frazier: It's awesome. Everyone dreams of being in the big leagues. To reach that goal with what's considered the best baseball franchise in history is awesome. You see the guys all around the field and the clubhouse who are considered legends -- Reggie Jackson, [Mariano] Rivera, [Mark] Teixeira, A-Rod. A lot of people still come around and I don't think that's common with other organizations. We have a lot of special guys who still want to get back and see how good our future can be, and it's really cool to be part of something like that.
MiLB.com: How did it feel watching the team's postseason run?
Frazier: I think the best way to sum it up is it was exciting. People kept saying we weren't supposed to be a team that went as far as we did this year, but everyone on our team believed we could do that. Everyone just put away the whole thought of a rebuilding year and went out and played. We have a really good team and we're only gonna get better because we'll continue to get experience and get acclimated to the environment. The fans are amazing in New York; you see the support you get in the playoffs. Everyone talks about how hard it is to play [in Yankee Stadium], so we just try to give the home crowd that momentum.
MiLB.com: What were your thoughts when you got the call to the Majors?
Frazier: I expected it in a sense when Dustin [Fowler] got hurt [on June 29], I figured one outfielder goes down, surely they have to call another up. The next day when I didn't get the call and they kept Miguel Andújar up there, I was a little confused and frustrated, and we played that night and got rained out. I got called into the office and [Scranton/Wilkes-Barre] manager [Al Pedrique] was talking about things I need to work on, and I thought when I walked in there I was going to get a callup. We were there for 15 minutes and I didn't hear it. But he ended it by saying, "You can work on all those things when you're in Houston tomorrow." I was thinking I wasn't getting it and he dropped that on me, and my girlfriend was there to experience it with me.
MiLB.com: You debuted with a big game and homered in three of your first eight contests. How were you able to hit the ground running in the Majors?
Frazier: I think for me everything starts with the confidence that I have in my ability to play, and when you have a first game where you do well, it helps set the bar because a lot of guys go up trying to get the first hit out of the way. If you don't, you start pressing and try to prove you belong, like I did in Triple-A last year. It helped instill confidence in me and to believe fully that I deserve to be here and I'm going to stay here.

Frazier had four homers in 39 games following his callup to New York on July 1. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
MiLB.com: What's been your best MLB moment so far?
Frazier: I would say the first home run I hit. For me, the walkoff [against the Brewers on July 8] is probably my favorite moment, but my [best] moment to see is how my family and girlfriend reacted to my first home run. I would say my first hit, but that wasn't as special as the home run to me -- just the look on all my loved ones' faces once I got the first home run out of the way.
MiLB.com: What surprised you most after you were called up?
Frazier: I think other teams' ability to adapt to your weaknesses so quickly. Everyone gets exploited at some point, but when I went through a tough stretch before I got hurt, it was almost like the other team knew everything I had trouble with. The biggest adjustment is the resources everyone has. If you have something that's being exploited, you have to cover the ground quickly or it's going to be a domino effect from there.
MiLB.com: What specific adjustments did teams make against you?
Frazier: I think teams noticed that I was an aggressive swinger, so early on they would try to nibble on the strike zone to see if I would first-pitch swing or chase. For me I've just got to continue to look for my pitch, because I did swing at some pitchers' pitches early on that got me out of an at-bat quicker than I wanted. For the offseason I just want to continue to work on my approach. The physical aspect is taken care of -- I'm going to do that every day and make sure my body is where it needs to be. But the approach is all mental; I want to grow in that aspect so pitchers can't get me out quicker than I want to.
MiLB.com: What was it like jumping into a playoff race?
Frazier: I know every team can't do that for you, but for a player to come up in the heat of a moment that we're competing for one thing, it's good for you. In the Minor League setup, it's more about developing, so winning isn't as pushed as it would be in the big leagues. To get out there and win some ballgames is good; we were competing for that, believed we could win the division and unfortunately we didn't but it was good for me to get up and be involved in a very competitive atmosphere.

MiLB.com: You were the 16th rookie to play for the Yankees this season. What was the atmosphere like in the clubhouse with all the young guys?
Frazier: I think we had the perfect blend of everything. We had a lot of young guys who were contributing to a large amount of our success, and then we had guys who were like 28 or 29 -- still young guys but not the youngest anymore -- and then we had our veterans in there. We had a good blend of everything, and I think when you have a younger group it helps the younger guys feel like they can fit in easier. Ultimately our group got past the point of age and looked at it like, "This guy is here to help us win, and we need him to help us win."
MiLB.com: Obviously the oblique injury in August was a tough break. Do you still feel any lingering effects or are you back to 100 percent now?
Frazier: I'm good. Obliques are so hard because I don't think people understand how much you use your oblique until you hurt it. Early on it was painful to walk on a treadmill, which was surprising to me. Until I could get past the little lingering effects I wasn't able to be myself. I could still swing a bat before I was put on the DL and it took longer to heal in the moment, but when I was activated I was ready to go. It was more mental than physical and being able to go out and be yourself, and for me that's swinging as hard as I can, so it's going out and trusting that.
MiLB.com: What are your goals heading into the offseason and looking ahead to Spring Training in 2018?
Frazier: I'm going into camp with the mindset of trying to win a job. I know I can play up there -- everyone has seen the ability -- but consistency is what we have to work on. I did my first offseason workout [on Oct. 30], so I haven't jumped into it yet, but a lot of things I'm doing are for balance. I need better balance in parts of my game; when I do my leg kick, it's a timing mechanism and it needs to be a smooth delivery and not rushed. I'm just working on balance, core stuff, endurance and running. I'm planning on hitting every part of my body I can, but I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do yet so early in my workouts.
MiLB.com: You played about 10 games with Aaron Judge. What was it like playing with him briefly in the Minors in 2016, watching him explode early this year and then joining him in the Yankees outfield?
Frazier: The biggest thing that stands out is not only his size, but he's the nicest guy I've ever met, which makes him so loved by everyone. He makes you feel very welcome very early, so when he welcomed me as fast as he did it made me feel part of something sooner than it should have. He's such a good player because of his openness; he's not afraid to fail and is going to try things to help make him better. He's only 25 but seems like a veteran -- routine-oriented, excited to win, team-focused and team-driven -- so it's no fluke he's been this successful early on.
MiLB.com: Which teammates have you connected with most?
Frazier: I would say Tyler Wade and Dustin Fowler. Dustin's not with us anymore, but us three were the three younger guys in big league camp this year, so we got the opportunity to spend a lot of time with each other and then went to Triple-A. Dustin got traded so it was just me and Wade, so me and Tyler have a really good relationship. He's probably my closest friend out of all of the people up there.
MiLB.com: What stands out as your best memory from the Minors, whether with the Indians or the Yankees?
Frazier: In the first game I had in the Minors, my first at-bat was a home run. I think I hit a triple that game, too. All I can remember, my first game, knowing I'm finally in pro ball, first at-bat ... home run. That's my favorite memory throughout everything, just getting that moment out of the way early on because you don't know what Minor League Baseball is going to go like.