Chicago Cubs: Clint Frazier is ready to make baseball fun again

It didn’t take long after joining the Chicago Cubs for Clint Frazier to start having some fun on the North Side. Free from the Yankees and their strict policies on long long locks and marvelous facial hair, Frazier took to social media to poke some fun at his old team and express his excitement to play in Chicago.

It’s all in good fun and part of a thread in which the team’s newest outfielder talks about why he signed with Chicago. He lays out a few reasons: the fans, the playing time and the looser culture. In a similar vein to one John Lackey, he didn’t come here for a haircut. He came to play his way and grow his hair out.

Frazier also took a parting shot at the Yankees, poking fun at an old, false rumor that he tried to take Mickey Mantle’s number, effectively closing the door on his time in the Bronx. When one fan told him they were glad he wasn’t a Yankee anymore, he responded simply with, “so am I.” It’s clear he’s all-in on a new start, one that can hopefully bring him the success he never could maintain in New York.

Chicago Cubs: Clint Frazier has been on the bandwagon since day 1

We’ve already covered why Frazier makes sense for the Cubs from a tactical perspective, but for fans, he’s also a good acquisition for a team in need of cult heroes. The team lost a lot of its lifeblood when it traded three of its core four plus its dominant back half of the bullpen at last year’s deadline. Frazier brings some much-needed energy back to Chicago which, along with the always fired-up Marcus Stroman, will only make them even more fun to watch in 2022.

With the Cubs looking to mix and match in an outfield that also added Harold Ramirez and brought back Michael Hermosillo to play alongside Ian Happ, Jason Heyward and Rafael Ortega, Frazier will get more opportunities to prove himself in Chicago. He brings to the table the pedigree of a former top prospect, albeit one with injury concerns aplenty. Throughout 2021, Frazier displayed concerning concussion-like symptoms and generally played poorly as a result.

It’s early and Frazier will still have to stay healthy and perform to win over the hearts of fans. Still, coming in with this kind of attitude and passion for the fans is a good way to endear yourself to them. If he can stay on the field, he strikes me as the type to talk an insane amount of trash to the Cardinals and their fans and just generally be a Chicago cult hero.