what's the major hype with Todd Frazier ?

[ol'Sparky]

www.frazierorfrarazier.com

[757690]

Hopefully he's more athletic than his brother Niles.

[GOYA]

He is a horrible fielder but does have a cannon for an arm. His plate discipline is downright pathetic.

Francisco is not a horrible fielder. He isn't a good fielder, but he is not horrible.

His plate discipline isn't pathetic either. It needs work but he isn't that bad.

But one out of three isn't bad in baseball: he does have a cannon for an arm.

[corkedbat]

Francisco is not a horrible fielder. He isn't a good fielder, but he is not horrible.

His plate discipline isn't pathetic either. It needs work but he isn't that bad.

But one out of three isn't bad in baseball: he does have a cannon for an arm.

Not horrible is the best thing I've ever heard said about is defense and probably a bit generous. After seeing the lift they got going from EdE to Rolen, I wonder if Walt is going to be willing to go in reverse from Rolen to Francisco.

[GOYA]

The error rates of Francisco and EE are about the same. But EE's errors were almost always throwing errors. Francisco's errors are almost always fielding errors. So Francisco's miscues are less costly. Still, he needs to improve and he doesn't show the amount of progress in the field nearly as much as he does at the plate.

[Scrap Irony]

His errors are physical errors. Simply put, Francisco has to get in better shape in order to play 3B adequately. If he does slim down (and perhaps bulk up), his range and his ability to get down on balls will improve.

In other words, what makes him a less than adequate fielder is fixable and fairly easy to do (unlike, for example, the years of bad habits EdE would have had to break in order to move his feet properly). It's simply a question of whether he will or not.

Because his arm is so strong (and accurate), Francisco could rightly be considered around AAA league average. At the major league level, he's below average, as his range is putrid and his ability to field low grounders is almost nonexistent. (Think Pablo Sandoval without the barrell chest.)

[RED VAN HOT]

His errors are physical errors. Simply put, Francisco has to get in better shape in order to play 3B adequately. If he does slim down (and perhaps bulk up), his range and his ability to get down on balls will improve.

In other words, what makes him a less than adequate fielder is fixable and fairly easy to do (unlike, for example, the years of bad habits EdE would have had to break in order to move his feet properly). It's simply a question of whether he will or not.

Because his arm is so strong (and accurate), Francisco could rightly be considered around AAA league average. At the major league level, he's below average, as his range is putrid and his ability to field low grounders is almost nonexistent. (Think Pablo Sandoval without the barrell chest.)

I like the Sandoval comparison. I had thought the same thing. Even if he hits a ton, I can't see JF playing for the Reds unless he can field his position at ML average. From what you say and what little I saw, that seems unlikely. I continue to believe that the best scenario is a monster AAA season and a trade to the American League. At the moment, Frazier is the 3B of the future even if he starts the year in LF.

[RedsManRick]

At this point I could see Frazier having a very Mark DeRosa like career. Frazier is a bit bigger and has more power than DeRosa, but they fit a similar profile. I could see Frazier picking up a few 100 PA each of the next few years in a utility/back-up role, bouncing around a bit and then finally landing somewhere late in his prime and stringing some good full seasons together.

As it stands, I think his only chance for a full-time gig in Cincy is in LF.

[RED VAN HOT]

At this point I could see Frazier having a very Mark DeRosa like career. Frazier is a bit bigger and has more power than DeRosa, but they fit a similar profile. I could see Frazier picking up a few 100 PA each of the next few years in a utility/back-up role, bouncing around a bit and then finally landing somewhere late in his prime and stringing some good full seasons together.

As it stands, I think his only chance for a full-time gig in Cincy is in LF.

It could be, but I believe Frazier is likely to be a better hitter. DeRosa is a classic in between player. I think Valaika fits that description...a good ballplayer, but not one that profiles well at any particular position. Hits for average, but not enough power for a corner, nor speed for the middle of the diamond.

I checked the minor league stats of DeRosa and Frazier.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/mi...d=derosa001mar

http://www.baseball-reference.com/mi...d=frazie001tod

Frazier has more HR's and a much better OPS than DeRosa at the same stage of development. I could see Frazier profiling at 3B. We shall see.