Clint Frazier of Loganville could be the top player selected in this year's MLB Draft.
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
In June 2012,
Clint Frazier of
Loganville (Ga.) was the talk of the class of 2013 after smashing 24 home runs in 118 at-bats, leading the Red Devils to the AAAA Georgia state championship.
This June, following an impressive summer at all the major showcase events and a stellar senior season during which the right-handed slugger hit 17 home runs, batted .485 and recorded an impressive .561 OBP/1.134 SLG, he's now the talk of the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Most experts project Frazier to be the first prep player and first outfielder overall selected, possibly with one of the first five selections, but certainly in the top 10. Major League Baseball is so confident in Frazier's draft status that the center fielder has been invited to be in Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J., for the draft. But much like when he steps up to the plate in a big situation, the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder isn't a bit nervous about his first trip to the Garden State.
"I'm not nervous at all about being in the studio," said Frazier, who will travel to New Jersey with his parents, sister and brother-in-law. "It's something I wanted to go through. I only want to get drafted once and so I want to enjoy the experience."
Frazier has a backup plan just in case, having committed to play at the University of Georgia. But the confident young man didn't hesitate when asked whether or not he'd sign a pro contract.
"I can't fully make that decision until the time comes on June 6 and I see if and where I'm drafted," he said. "But my mindset is to go pro and I'm 99 percent sure that if I get the chance that's what I'll do."
Frazier's move to the outfield helped
increase his draft stock.
Photo by Dennis Carter
Frazier is in the situation to get that chance in large part due to a position change following his sophomore year. After starting at third base his first two years, Frazier made the switch to center field as a junior to take advantage of his speed, showcase his athleticism, and because he admittedly does not have the body of a prototypical third baseman. His work ethic made the switch an easy one.
"Clint is willing to put the time in to improve his game," Loganville head coach Jeff Segars said. "He is very focused at practices and he often will hit extra to work on improving in specific areas. Clint also really works hard in the weight room."
Frazier's hard work at his new position has paid off.
"I got a lot better in the outfield this season," the all-Region 8-AAAAA selection admitted. "I just need more experience and more repetition and I'll get a lot better than I am right now."
Frazier realized he had the potential to be one of the best outfielders in the country after returning from a showcase event in Fort Myers the summer after his junior year.
"I realized I could hang with the other players there and possibly be better than them," Frazier recalled.
Frazier parlayed an exceptional offseason into a spectacular senior season. Loganville moved up to Class AAAAA and the 26-6 Red Devils fell just shy of winning a second consecutive state title.
"It was very disappointing considering what happened in the series we lost," Frazier said of back-to-back losses to Starr's Mill. "We lost the first game, but hit every ball hard but right at them. We were down 8-0 in the first inning of the second game, tied it at nine and then lost on a grand slam after a questionable call. It was very disappointing."
Although Frazier didn't get to play in a state championship game this year, when Loganville hosted Grayson on March 12, it had all the elements of a title game. Grayson's star player was
Austin Meadows, who MaxPreps Baseball Editor Kevin Askeland ranks No. 2 behind Frazier nationally among outfielders.
"It felt like the state championship game but with an even more electrifying atmosphere," Frazier described. "There were more than 100 scouts and something like 1,500 fans. Their school is only five minutes down the road and so the crowd was unbelievable. It was one of the best games I ever played in, if not the best."
Frazier's two home runs sparked the Red Devils to a 14-4 win in front of a frenzied crowd. Frazier said he and his good friend Meadows — "I see Austin more than I see my own family," Frazier said laughing — got "heckled all day." A boisterous crowd is something Frazier has grown accustomed to, knowing it comes with the territory of being one of the best players in the country.
"The fans on the other teams were pretty harsh all year long," Frazier said. "I got booed. I actually had a ball thrown at me during a game while on the field. None of that bothers me. There's nothing anyone can say to me that I haven't heard before."
Frazier has heard more praise than boos, and yet despite his lofty numbers and even bigger potential, the soft-spoken young man remains grounded.
"I don't want to put the image out there that I've already arrived," he said humbly. "The ranking is just a number."
Frazier's numbers at the plate have been impressive throughout his career.
Frazier committed to Georgia, but will
most likely sign a pro contract.
Photo by Dennis Carter
"Clint has tremendous bat speed which helps him generate so much power," Segars said of Frazier, who was named Region 8-AAAAA Hitter of the Year. "He is physically strong and is really a gifted baseball player as a whole."
Frazier also has benefited from having the perfect neighbor in Tim Hyers. Hyers is the minor-league hitting coordinator for the Red Sox and it's most likely what he has seen during his sessions with Frazier that has many projecting the Red Sox will select Frazier with their first pick (seventh overall) if he is still available.
"We hit whenever we can," Frazier said of his sessions with Hyers. "He seems like he's really pulling for me and that a lot of big-time scouts for the Red Sox are also pulling for me."
Frazier has drawn comparisons to another Loganville product, Brandon Moss, selected by the Red Sox in 2002 and currently a first baseman for the Oakland A's.
"Both were talented hitters for sure," Segars said. "But Clint has a good bit more power than Brandon did at the plate at this stage."
A Phillies fan growing up, Frazier doesn't really care which team drafts him.
"I just want to get to pro ball as fast as I can," he said.
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @jonbuzby on Twitter.
