Todd Frazier apparently likes to tell time.
Because every time the third baseman hits a home run, he looks at his wrist.
“It’s funny they just saw this now,” Frazier said. “Pretty much every home run I’ve done that with my hand. I put out my arm and say, ‘What time is it?’”
Apparently, this post season has been Frazier time.
A three-run home run in the second set the pace for CC Sabathia and the Yankees in the 8-1 win in Game 3 of the ALCS.
It’s safe to say Frazier has been the man for the Yankees during October.
It’s funny, because when the Yankees acquired Frazier from the White Sox along with David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle on Jul. 18, he was thought to be the throw-in. The Yankees had a third baseman in Chase Headley and Frazier was just some insurance at first base with Greg Bird still recovering from his injuries.
The Pale Hose were shedding payroll, so the Yankees needed to take on the rest of Frazier’s $12 million and now, what a trade for the Yankees. Both Robertson and Kahnle are trusted pieces to Joe Girardi’s bullpen and Frazier has come in and fit like a glove in the Yankee clubhouse.
Even though, he played for the Reds and the White Sox in his career, Frazier was bound to be Yankee one day and that’s why he blended in so well.
“It’s a good question,” Frazier said on why blending in has been so easy. “One, close to home, it’s one of those things I felt comfortable right away. An hour away from where I stay in the offseason. Guys like (Aaron) Judge, makes you feel comfortable. I feel like this guy has been here ten years-plus. He’s humble as all heck.
“We’ve got a good group of guys, starting with CC, all the way to Brett Gardner, and the young guys. We hang out all the time. And for me, I just came in being myself. And that’s how I got comfortable with the team.”
The Yankees are very thankful to have him on the team.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Sabathia said. “Getting a chance to play with Fraz, we talk on the field a lot, just hanging out having fun just keeps you loose.”
Even though the Yankees have Brett Gardner on the team and Sabathia is the old sage on the staff, you can never have too many leaders and now you can add Frazier to the list. The younger players like Judge looks up to Frazier, who helps keep the team on an even keel.
That said, even though he looks like a seasoned October veteran out there, it’s been a while for Frazier, who appeared in the NLDS in 2012 and Wild Card game in 2013 with the Reds.
“It’s ten times different,” Frazier said. “Different for me because I was a bench guy coming in with Cincinnati. Atmosphere is great, but there’s nothing like here in New York. And I knew we try to get that one win and it would have been great if we did.
“But playing at home, it’s kind of like an advantage as it is. The fans are great. And this is where you want to be. If you don’t want to play in this kind of situation, you don’t play this sport. Every baseball player’s dream.”
Frazier is living that dream on the biggest stage in baseball. No one knows if this is going to be just a short cameo for the veteran or if he will re-sign with the Yankees in the off-season.
It doesn’t matter now, because no matter what happens, this is the fact: Todd Frazier has already made his impression on New York and the Yankees and he will always be remembered for it.