Apr 10, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Clint Frazier (77) celebrates with teammates after scoring in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Former New York Yankees prospect Clint Frazier is happy to be rid of his responsibility in the Bronx. Now with the Cubs, he has a new lease on life in baseball.
Frazier will get a chance to face his former team over the weekend, starting on Friday night in the Bronx. Given these timely comments, he’s unlikely to receive a friendly ovation in his return.
The now-bearded Frazier was asked about his time with the Yankees by the Chicago Sun-Times Maddie Lee. To his credit, Frazier opened up…perhaps a little too much.
‘‘I like it here,’’ Frazier said of the Cubs organization. ‘‘Certainly don’t miss some of the things over there. And I’m really enjoying the way that this clubhouse has maneuvered. It seems like there’s a lot of guys in here that are just accepting of everyone. And it’s been really good for me.’’
Cubs: Clint Frazier doesn’t miss time with Yankees in the slightest
Frazier does not feel as though he was accepted during his time in New York. He also felt like a distraction, per his next comment to Lee:
‘‘And you had to be a cookie-cutter version to be on that team,’’ he said. ‘‘If not, then you were, like, a really bad distraction, it seemed like. So I don’t miss being told how I had to look for the last five years.’’
It should be noted that Frazier is talking about the Yankees’ facial hair policy in his latter comment. Of course, the red-headed assassin how has a beard of his own with the Cubs.
Being a Yankee simply isn’t in the cards for some. It carries a tremendous weight and responsibility given the intense media coverage in New York. For Frazier, it became borderline unhealthy. He is not alone.