Frazier eager to join "an exciting young team" in Baltimore

The Orioles have arranged a video introduction in a few days between Adam Frazier and their hitting coaches who want to learn more about him before they tackle the reasons why his offensive production took a nosedive this summer.

The front office already has gotten ahead of the process.

Frazier signed a one-year, $8 million contract on Thursday to wrap up a recruiting mission that began early in the offseason. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and others in the organization sold him on the data available to hitters, the favorable aspects of Camden Yards, the chance to stay in the lineup.

Their interest was made abundantly clear through words and actions.

“I didn’t have my best offensive performance last season and Mike had asked what kind of adjustments I was making or trying to make this offseason, and then pulled up a frame of exactly what I had said,” Frazier said today in a Zoom call with the media, “so it seems like they’ve done their homework on myself and it seemed like we kind of view things in a similar manner.”

Frazier is expected to receive most of his starts at second base and also switch to the corner outfield. He won’t try to influence manager Brandon Hyde.

“I’m not making the lineup out every night, but just going to play where Hyder puts me at,” he said. “It doesn’t matter a whole lot. Just, when I’m in the lineup, I’m going to try to contribute and play to the best of my ability.”

The Orioles will work to figure out why he fell short this year.

Frazier was an All-Star with the Pirates in 2021 before they traded him to the Padres, and he finished with a .305/.368/.411 line, 36 doubles and five triples in 155 games. The Mariners acquired him last November and he hit .238/.301/.311 in a career-high 156 games.

A huge perk was Seattle’s first playoff appearance in 21 years, but the failures stung.

“Frustrating at times,” Frazier said. “Even when I felt like I was going good, I’d hit balls right at guys. But it was also the most fun I’ve had playing the game, the most fun since college, at least. Winning does a lot for that.

“I kind of put my personal stuff aside and just tried to do anything I could to help the team win that night, and that’s what it came down to. Definitely frustrating at times but a lot of fun, as well. It’s truly, how can you help the team win, and that’s the main goal every night.”

Frazier, who turned 31 this week, knows what went wrong and the adjustments he must make to get back to the player whose on-base percentage fell to .301, his lowest over a full season.

It begins with the body.

“Really just trying to get connected with the lower half and the top half again,” he said. “I felt like after spring training last season I couldn’t get the feeling of using the ground as my friend and driving down into it, so just trying to get that connected again and simplifying a few things and not trying to do too much, using the whole field again.

“I know when I’m at my best, that’s my strength, so getting back to that. Really no more outside of that. I think being a little more disciplined, I could do, and zoning up a little more. And I think that leads to a lot more quality at-bats. I know it’s in there. It’s just a matter of simplifying a few things.

“I’m looking forward to talking with all the hitting guys and breaking some things down. I like to keep it simple, but I know they have some stuff that could help and I’m open ears and I’m just looking forward to that.”

The eyes told Frazier plenty about the team he’s joining.

“I think I can provide a lot of things for the Orioles,” he said. “An exciting young team. I think everybody got a glimpse of that (this) year. I was just looking at the roster and I’m second-oldest now, so that’s exciting for myself. I got a little taste of being able to be that veteran-type guy in Seattle, and a lot of the same kind of qualities in that team as Baltimore has.

“It’s a lot of fun for me coming from the outside just watching them and playing against them, the excitement that they have, and the energy they brought each and every night. Looking forward to that and hitting the ground running.”

Frazier used to face the Orioles plenty of times in spring training, whether in Sarasota or Bradenton, but the roster has undergone drastic changes during the rebuild. Hardly recognizable to him anymore.

He's met infielder Jordan Westburg, also a product of Mississippi State, but never worked with him.

“Trey Mancini is a great buddy of mine but he’s no longer there,” Frazier said.

“Played against them the six or seven games last season, seeing them from the outside. But other than that, just seeing the highlights down the stretch.”

The Mariners qualified for the postseason as a wild card. The Orioles tried to do the same, even more shocking, and contended until the final week. Frazier noticed what was happening in Baltimore.

"It’s something you dream of your whole life,” Frazier said. “You’re sitting in the backyard picturing yourself in those moments. Having that opportunity is what you’re playing for.

"The second-half run we had in Seattle is kind of similar to what Baltimore was doing. It's why you play the game. It makes it a lot easier coming to the yard every night, play a hard nine, when you're in contention, when you're pushing for something. It’s the same game. It’s just a lot more energy and a lot more exciting to be a part of."

Teammates will ask Frazier about the experience, along with anything else he’s accumulated over his seven years in the majors. He’ll do more than replace Rougned Odor at second base. There’s also his veteran presence among the young infielders.

Frazier is one of seven players to appear in at least 521 games since the start of the 2019 season. He has a lot to offer. But he also is determined to do better, to get back to his previous style of using the entire field.

The high-contact, low-whiff, uncomplicated hitter who wants to keep it simple.

To always understand who he is.

“I’m not the big 6-4 guy that’s going to drive the ball out of the ballpark 40 times,” Frazier said.

Get on base anyway he can, he said, “and let the big guys behind me drive me in.”

The Orioles are ready to assist him. It's part of their passionate sales pitch.

He didn’t miss that one, either.

“The opportunity the ballpark provides for a hitter like me is pretty enticing, too,” he said. “And just an opportunity to be on a fun, young team that’s hungry and really good. So, that’s exciting for myself to be able to join up with a group like that.”