Yankees Clint Frazier fixes swing with help from Instagram

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 25: Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees is congratulated by Clint Frazier #77 after scoring during the 7th inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 25: Brett Gardner #11 of the New York Yankees is congratulated by Clint Frazier #77 after scoring during the 7th inning of the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Clint Frazier was on fire until an ankle sprain forced him to miss 11 games. Upon his return from the IL, the Yankees outfielder struggled to regain his form — that is until he watched an Instagram video of his swing.

Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier is still only 24 and has only appeared in a total of 91 major league games across parts of three seasons. Therefore, his recent defensive deficiencies should be taken with a grain of salt, especially when you consider his ever-expanding proficiency at the plate.

Yes, Frazier dropped a fly ball in Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Royals — and was replaced by Cameron Maybin in the sixth inning of Monday’s 5-2 win over the Padres.

However, over his past seven games, Frazier is red-hot, slashing .385/.448/.923 with four home runs and 10 RBIs.

Upon returning from his brief stint on the injured-list, Frazier entered a lengthy 6-for-40 slump. With the boo-birds out in full force, Frazier caught wind of a video on Instagram that featured a delayed trigger of his circular hand movements.

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As Frazier told Zach Braziller of the New York Post, the video showed an at-bat during the Boston series, where the movement of his hands delayed his pitch recognition and subsequent ability to put the bat on the ball with regularity.

"“That one take I saw was able to help me see a move I was making in the box that helps me recognize pitches pretty early,” he said. “I’ve been feeling very good since then.”"

Frazier re-worked his hand swivel during the Orioles series, leading to a solo home run off of Dylan Bundy (three home runs in total versus the O’s), went 5-for-11 in Kansas City and 2-for-3 with a double and homer on Memorial Day.

Speaking to Chris Ryan of NJ.com, Frazier made it clear that he figured out what was wrong and is eager to build sustainable momentum in each plate appearance.

"“I just feel confident going up there,” Frazier said. “I found a couple things I needed to fix whenever I got back from the (IL) that happen whenever you miss some time. Right now, I feel good. So I’m just trying to go from there.”"

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