Clint Frazier had a bad game on Sunday night. He was the first one to admit it. He "sucked" (his word, not mine, but accurate) and was embarrassed by it. But instead of facing the music after the game, he hid in the restricted area of the clubhouse, leaving his teammates to answer questions about his terrible performance.
When he finally did speak to the media before tonight's game in Toronto, he was unapologetic. He told the assembled media that he didn't owe any of them anything and pointed out that he isn't required to speak after the game (although, the CBA strongly encourages it and leaves the burden up to the player). What I'm not sure he realizes is that all he did was make matters worse.
New York isn't the easiest city to play in. The fans are into it every game. If you screw up, you're going to hear about it. Getting booed by the Bleacher Creatures is almost a right of passage when becoming a Yankee. You're especially going to hear it if you screw up against the Red Sox! On national TV! And the media is just as relentless. There's a reason why playing in New York isn't for everybody.
But Frazier isn't doing himself any favors with what he did on Sunday night. Or his defiance on Tuesday. This is New York. You've got demanding fans and media. They expect you to perform, and if you don't, they expect you to answer for it. Not doing so won't exactly endear you to them. In fact, it'll do just the opposite.
And, frankly, Fraizer has gotten off kinda easy about his shoddy defense this season. He's made plenty of other mistakes in the outfield. The only difference is that those miscues were overshadowed by Yankee wins, while Sunday night's contributed directly to a Yankees loss.
He isn't exactly Aaron Judge out there, which we all understand. And if we were comparing Frazier's right field play to Judge's, it wouldn't be fair. But we aren't. He's bad compared to me (OK, that might be a stretch, but you get my point). Yes, when you're spoiled by seeing Judge play an exceptional right field, Frazier's struggles are magnified. The failure to make routine plays would stand out regardless, though. Needless to say, he won't be winning any Gold Gloves anytime soon.
If it was just his poor defense that was the problem, it wouldn't be nearly as big of an issue. After all, Frazier can still hit, which is the main reason the Yankees wanted him so badly and why Aaron Boone continues to write his name on the lineup card. And it's not like Frazier doesn't know he's a work in progress in the outfield. So just own it!
Frazier's problems with the media are nothing new. He feels like he's been treated "unfairly" ever since he first arrived in New York two years ago. He's had issues with stories about everything from the length of his hair to the amount of time it took him to come back after suffering a concussion in Spring Training last year. And he also mentioned some weird thing about his number that I didn't remember at all or recall ever even being a story in the first place.
Because of all this, Frazier feels like he doesn't owe the media anything. Which is why he doesn't regret his behavior on Sunday night. Which is the absolute wrong way of going about it.
This is a direct quote from when Frazier finally broke his media silence on Tuesday afternoon: "Since I got traded over here, it's been some stories that came out that shouldn't have come out. And it's difficult, because the way I'm perceived by people is not how I think I really am. I don't feel like it's been fair at times, and I don't owe an apology for not talking."
Well, Clint, I hate to break it to you, but making an enemy of the media isn't going to help that perception. One of my favorite sayings, one I say all the time, is "Your perception is your reality." And if the media perceives you as standoffish and only willing to talk when things are going well, that's their reality. And they'll treat you the same way you treat them. Which is not good.
In their Hall of Fame careers, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera stood in front of their lockers after every game. Win or lose. No matter how well they played. After Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, Rivera answered every reporter's question.
They aren't beloved in New York because they had a good relationship with the media, but it didn't hurt. What it did do, however, was give them the benefit of the doubt. Clint Frazier hasn't earned that benefit of the doubt. And if he continues to be so defiant towards the media, he likely never will. Even (especially?) in the age of social media, the traditional media who cover the team every day help shape fans' perceptions. And by blowing off the media, he was essentially blowing off the fans, too.
During the game on Tuesday night, they talked about it at length on YES. David Cone made perhaps the best point. By not talking, Frazier's letting the media control the narrative. If he thinks he's getting a raw deal, that's even more reason for him to talk. It's his opportunity to set the record straight and tell the story he wants told. Instead, Frazier is leaving it up to them to write the story as they see it...whether that's the "right" perception or not.
Aaron Boone (who was a member of the media before becoming Yankees manager) clearly wasn't happy about Frazier's blow off after the Red Sox game, and he made sure to let him know that. He didn't address specifics, but made sure to use the word "expectations" when relaying the details of that private talk. Boone also stressed the importance of being a pro, and facing reporters is a part of that.
Unfortunately, Clint Frazier hasn't yet learned that lesson. Either that or he simply doesn't care. Either way, it's not a good look. And it isn't helping Clint Frazier's cause. Because somebody's gotta go when Judge and Stanton come back, and Frazier's bat may not be enough to keep him from earning a ticket to Scranton. At least there he won't have to deal with the New York media. (And maybe he can learn how to play right field while he's there, too.)
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