3 Cubs who have to be successful for the team to win in 2022

3 Cubs who have to be successful for the team to win: #1 – Clint Frazier

Clint Frazier graces this list because of the hot spring he is having. He looks healthy and most importantly, he knows how imperative this season is for him. That is a good thing. He seems locked in at the plate drawing a number of walks and batting .400 in 10 ABs to this point.

Before he was inked to a deal and I was looking over potential signings for the Cubs over the winter, I wrote up a piece on the cubs exercising extreme caution with Frazier. Since then, I must admit I have grown more intrigued in his upside considering his cost effective $1.5M contract, coupled with how good he has looked early this spring.

With Frazier, if he stays healthy, his potential is enormous. I don’t think anyone has ever disagreed on that fact. He has seen the 60-day IL more than once in his short career including multiple other shorter trips, as well.  In five years with New York, he slashed .239/.327/.434 with injuries repeatedly stopping him from really finding a rhythm whenever he got it going. In fact, from 2018-2020, Frazier batted .267 but amassed just 390 ABs combined over those three seasons at the big league level.

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Regardless, a first-round draft pick’s ceiling is always going to be considered high when they show signs of life. In the case of Frazier, health is his biggest enemy. If he can stay on the field, I believe the consistency will be there and he will be looked at as a steal in free agency. His very low risk/high upside does make him worth rolling the dice on. So far, so good. Here’s to hoping he keeps at it.