Matt Fraizer
Matt Fraizer
Position: OF
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 220 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/R
Born: 12/22/1997
College: University of Arizona
How Acquired: Draft 3rd Rd., 95th Overall, 2019
Bonus: $525,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2025
Options Left: 3
Overview
Fraizer’s draft stock took a hit when he suffered a broken hamate partway into his junior season, which prevented scouts from seeing him much. In 19 games, he batted 412/452/565, with the same number of walks and strikeouts. The brief action was a significant improvement over his sophomore season, when he hit 266/352/359. The step up as a junior resulted from a swing overhaul. He didn’t play much as a freshman. Fraizer features plus speed, but when drafted he wasn’t expected to hit for more than gap power. That changed due to further swing adjustments in 2021. Despite the speed, he didn’t attempt many steals at Arizona. He has a fringy arm. Baseball America ranked him 272nd among draft prospects. He signed a week after the draft for $85,800 below the slot value.
2019-20
Fraizer didn’t hit at all with West Virginia. He showed an inside-out swing that produced no power and also had a great deal of trouble making contact. He struggled against RHPs but was helpless against LHPs, batting just 140/213/140. Conceivably, the hamate was part of the problem. In the field, he played right almost exclusively and did not see any action in center. He didn’t play in 2020.
2021-23
Fraizer had one of the biggest breakout seasons in the minors. Much of it apparently resulted from the Pirates getting him to involve his lower half more in his swing and to look to make contact further in front. He hit so well at Greensboro (314/401/578, 20 HR) that he was named the league’s MVP despite spending the last third of the season at Altoona. Once he moved up, he continued hitting. Fraizer had only a modest home/road split, so the power at Greensboro didn’t result from the ballpark. At Altoona, where the ballpark sharply reduces home run power, he hit dramatically better on the road. He had only a modest platoon split. At Greensboro, Fraizer split his time between center and left. At Altoona, he played almost exclusively in center.
The Pirates sent Fraizer back to Altoona to open 2022, which probably was a warning sign, and his season was a serious disappointment. His hitting dropped off sharply, almost exactly to 2019 levels. His walk and K rates didn’t change a lot, but his ISO was barely over half what it had been in AA the previous year. He also had a sharp drop in his BABIP, from .361 to .282. He hit fairly well in May and July, but in three other months — April, August and September — his OPS was well under .500. He badly struggled with LHPs, posting just a .507 OPS against them. In 2023, he bounced back some, but only partly. Still in Altoona, he batted 252/326/357. This time he had a reverse platoon split. He did do very well as a base stealer. After swiping 18 bags in 19 tries in 2022, he went 21-for-24 in 2023. Defensively, he split his time both seasons among all three outfield positions.
2024
At age 26, Fraizer seemed to settle into a role as an upper-level organizational player. He started the season at Altoona, had a long stretch in Indianapolis, then returned to Altoona. He ultimately played a little more in AA than AAA. Fraizer hit just decently at both levels, with a .683 OPS for Altoona and .730 for Indy — the International League as a whole had a big offensive year. The Pirates didn’t play Fraizer much against LHPs and he struggled when he did see them. He played all three outfield positions.
Stats
Transactions
June 11, 2016: Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 38th round, 1132nd overall pick.
June 4, 2019: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 3rd round, 95th overall pick; signed on June 11.