Yankees in utero Torres, Frazier and Adams pushing through

Baby Yankees are doing significant damage to the big league club. And there are still plenty of talented pre-baby Yankees scattered through the minors. Gleyber Torres and Clint Frazier are the top two pieces in a talented system and are playing like it. And it’s time we considered Chance Adams one of those top prospects. So if any Yankees are finding it hard to get playing time—are you listening Jacoby Ellsbury—they might not want to read this.

Yankees players have been more used to looking up at the standings to see the other teams. Now, they only have to look down. While it is still early in the season, the Yankees are in second place by a slim margin. And, while that’s always better than being in last place, it keeps the players looking over their shoulders for someone ready to take their jobs rather than getting comfortable.

Some shoulders are being overlooked more than others. Take Jacoby Ellsbury. He has found it difficult to get playing time recently. In a minor (Wally) Pipping, he needed time off after his collision with the wall and has not been able to get back into the starting lineup, until recently.

That’s because Gardener and Hicks have been playing superlative baseball. And of course, Judge is…well, you don’t need me to complete that sentence.

Now Gardener and Hicks might not be the only players between the pine and playing time for Mr. Ellsbury. Second-ranked prospect Clint Frazier has been playing much better ball recently and might have turned a corner.

But before we look at all the good numbers, we need to keep a special watch on the negative numbers, such as errors and strikeouts, for both Frazier and Torres.

The Yankees know that a player has to play in the Bronx before the team can tell if he is a big leaguer or not. But Girardi never lets a player on the field who cannot play defense. He knows most players never hit enough to stick with the big league club so he and the Yankees are not going to let you hurt the team by committing errors while they wait to find out if you can help the team by hitting.

Think about Aaron Judge. He struck out in half of his Yankees AB’s last year. And he rarely walked. But it was because he only committed one error during that time that allowed him to come back for another shot. And that seems to be working out.

Trading hitting for defense seems so seductive but can bite you at the wrong time. Just ask the Mets why they have a 2015 National League Championship banner instead of a World Series one. With that in mind, here are three players Yankees fans should see soon.

Clint Frazier is Starting to Push

Frazier had a superb, if unspectacular, spring training. He batted .273 and slugged .432. More important is that he filled up almost every column. Of his 12 hits, he had a triple and homer, as well as two doubles. He scored seven runs, drove in 8 and even stole three without getting caught. That’s not bad for his first Yankees camp.

One column, however, was under filled while another was over stuffed. He did not walk once, but he did manage to strike out 13 times in 44 at-bats. While all of his numbers needed to improve, those last two needed serious work. Now it looks like the work is paying off.

Clint has his average up to .269. That is not a high standard but is way up from a season-low of .212 just ten days ago, or so. That shows just how well he has been hitting as of late. And his other numbers show a budding power hitter just about ready to blossom. He currently has 25 hits, just about twice as many as he had in the spring. Only these hits have resulted in eleven doubles and four home runs.

Frazier is second on the team with 48 total bases and has driven in as many runs as he has scored himself: 17. The strikeouts are still too high—25 in more than double the AB’s from spring—but there are once again two relevant categories. He has slowed the game down and drawn 15 walks, and now has an OBP higher than his average (.371).

Less is More

And this time his unfilled column is a major strength; Clint has zero errors. That might seem easy for an outfielder. But CF Dustin Fowler has three in one fewer games played while Mark Payton, who splits time in left, has two in only 19 games. Frazier’s defense is ready for a tryout in the Bronx; it is too early to tell if his offense is. He could be having just a few good days.

On the other hand, Frazier might be at the start of actually figuring it out. Remember that Clint only played half a season at Triple-A last year and it would be normal to need 500 AB’s to conquer the level. And you should also remember that Judge says Frazier hits home runs a lot farther than he does.

So, if he is beginning to fulfill the promise, his power numbers and error-free play will mark him as ready for his chance.

Right now that means nothing. It seems all the Yankees are competing for playing time, which is perfect for Yankees and Yankees fans. But they all know that a high draft pick, whom their GM has gushed over in the press, is at Triple-A. If someone goes into a slump, he might lose playing time that never returns.

And the infield seems likely to start feeling that pressure, as well. Gleyber Torres is back and playing like Gleyber Torres.

Guess Who’s Back Back Back

Yankees fans and observers could see something was wrong with Gleyber by looking at his stats. When he walked off the field following a 1-0 win over New Hampshire on April 17th, Torres was hitting just .237. That would be okay for a typical young player getting his first taste of Double-A. But Torres spent Fall of last year and Spring of this year showing he is no ordinary player.

So it was not a surprise when the Yankees announced two days later that Gleyber was going on the 10-day DL. In his first game back, on April 28^th, he pulled an O-fer and dropped his average to .220. But since that night, he has used his return to remind us that he is special and will soon be wearing an extra A.

Gleyber’s current slash line is .293/.376/.415. That’s 73 points in twelve days. And his 24 hits are not just singles. He has five doubles as well as a triple and homer. That’s perfect for a 20-year old. Players don’t develop their power until their mid-twenties, so Gleyber is ahead of schedule.

Torres is sixth in number of AB’s with 82 but is 2^nd in runs scored (15) and fourth in total bases (34). Like Frazier, he has filled almost every column.

And also like Frazier, he has two under filled columns. He has only struck out 14 times, which is second lowest among all Trentonians with at least 49 AB’s. Thairo Estrada, another good looking player, has 11. But he also has two errors; Torres has zero.

Frazier and Torres have a lot of potential; that’s one step towards a tryout during the regular season. Both have flashed great offensive prowess, although Torres is the better player. And almost as important, both have proven they can be trusted not to hurt the team if given some Bronx AB’s. All those factors combined add up to a “Coming Soon” sign over their lockers.

And maybe one in the Yankees clubhouse. Torres still needs a promotion to Pennsylvania, but that will come soon. Scranton is splitting SS time between three players: Ruben Tejada, Tyler Wade, and Cito Culver. Tejada is the hitting the best (.329/.414/.575), but he has three errors and is not the future of the Yankees. Besides, he played a long time with the Mets, which means he walks around with the stench of incompetence and defeat on him.

Wade is doing well, batting .295, but has no power. His 31 hits have netted 38 bases, and none were home runs. Plus, he has committed three errors as well. Wade is the Yankees future super-utility man, not a shortstop. Culver is still hanging in there but is suffering from the comparisons. He’s batting .254 and has committed four errors in far fewer AB’s than either of the other two.

Gleyber Torres is coming to Scranton soon. And he should be going there with Chance Adams.