Adam Frazier Looking For A Fresh Start In Seattle

Frazier was an All-Star in 2021, but his year ended with a thud.

In 2022, he’ll look to start fresh with the Mariners.

Frazier’s Odd 2021 Season

Frazier began last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He didn’t finish it there, but he played 98 games in a Pirates uniform in 2021 before landing with the Padres in a July trade.

Prior to the trade, the 29-year-old was in the midst of an exceptional year.

He batted .324 with an OPS of .836 and OPS+ of 127 before being dealt to San Diego.

His great first half earned him that aforementioned All-Star selection.

Once he landed with the Padres, however, things changed.

Frazier seemingly lost his groove, and the results he produced were very unimpressive.

In 57 games with San Diego, he batted .267 with a poor OPS of .662 and OPS+ of 86.

To his credit, he started to figure things out down the stretch.

After posting an OPS of .558 over his first 39 games with the Padres, he managed to register an OPS of .873 over his final 18 games with the team.

But it wasn’t enough to will San Diego to the postseason, as the club went 7-21 from September onward.

The Padres, who seemed like threats to win the NL West early in the season, somehow finished with a losing record.

But that’s in the rearview mirror now, especially for Frazier, who is going to find himself with a new team next season.

Seattle Clearly Believes In Frazier

Given the way Frazier performed with the Padres in 2021, it’s fair to say that the Mariners are taking a leap of faith by trading for him.

But it’s clear that the organization believes in him.

In fact, Seattle had been eyeing Frazier for quite some time before finally trading for him over the weekend.

“We were at the goal line to acquire Adam at the trade deadline last year,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “Obviously we missed out, (but) we stayed in touch with the Padres as we headed into the offseason knowing that they had a pretty robust roster. We just like the player so we stuck with it through the GM meetings in San Diego up until yesterday when we finally were able to agree on players and push it across.”’

Dipoto was asked how long the team had been interested in Frazier before Saturday’s deal went down.

He offered a very interesting response.

“Probably (since) 2016 or ’17,” Dipoto said.

Obviously, Seattle is very high on the Mississippi State University product.

Frazier will hope to prove to the Mariners that they made the right decision in trading for him.

His track record is solid.

He’s a career .285 hitter with an OPS+ of 103, and he also chips in with some really solid infield defense.

Moreover, his value statistics (like WAR) tend to paint him in a nice light.

He averages a WAR of 3.1 per 650 plate appearances, which is a pretty solid mark.

But at the end of the day, the big question is this: Which version of Frazier will the Mariners get?

In 2021, we saw how good he can be (during his time with the Pirates) and how mightily he can struggle (during his time with the Padres).

Which type of player will Seattle have on its side in 2022?

  The Seattle Mariners haven’t made the postseason since 2001. In 2021, the squad came very close to ending that drought, but a 90-win regular season wasn’t quite enough for Seattle to nab a playoff bid. This winter, the organization is looking to ensure that its 2022 campaign will end with a trip to the […]