Todd Frazier was fine, but not great, in 2019

Todd Frazier’s 2019 season was rocky from the beginning. During spring training, Frazier found himself hurt with an oblique injury at the end of February. This caused Frazier to start the season on the IL and not be a part of the Mets Opening Day roster.

Frazier returned from the injured list in late April and was immediately placed into the starting lineup. It took him a while to get going as hit .164/.179/.291 in his first 19 games of the season. Following this lackluster 19 game stretch, Frazier’s bat began to get hot and he played exceedingly well through the end of June.

From May 17th to June 30th, Frazier appeared in 42 games, and started in 39 of them, and hit 9 home runs while driving in 27 runs. Frazier’s slash line was also much improved from his first 19 games as he posted an OPS of .927. The hot streak Frazier had increased speculation the Mets could try to move him before the July 31 deadline. However, Frazier hit just .210 in July with a .672 OPS which silenced the rumblings surrounding his name, along with the fact that the Mets did not end up dealing anyone away at the deadline.

The biggest hit of Frazier’s season happened to be one of the biggest ones in the Mets’ season as well. In the middle of August, the Mets welcomed the eventual World Series champion Nationals to Citi Field in the midst of a scorching hot streak. This streak had propelled the Mets over the .500 mark and back into Wild Card contention. In the first game of a three game set against the Nationals, the Mets found themselves losing 6-3 in the bottom of the 9th. After getting the first two men on base against Sean Doolittle, Frazier came to the plate as the tying run. On a 2-1 pitch, Frazier hooked a Doolittle fastball down the left field line and over the wall to tie the game at 6 and sent Citi Field into a frenzy. The home run was so epic, it even produced a double “Outta here” from Gary Cohen. The Mets would go on to win this game with a Michael Conforto single a couple of batters later.

The rest of the season, Frazier played about in line with his season averages. He finished the year with 21 home runs and 67 runs batted in. He had a slash line of .251/.329/.443 with an OPS+ of 106 and a wRC+ of 106. Following the oblique injury which held him out at the beginning of the season, he played in 133 games and in total, had a better year than his 2018 season with the Mets.

Going forward, it’s unlikely Frazier ever plays another game with the Mets as he is now a free agent this offseason. With a crowded infield including the likes of Jeff McNeil and Jed Lowrie, it’d be hard to imagine Frazier getting meaningful playing time with the Mets next season if he were to return. Though Frazier’s best days are most likely behind him as he’ll be entering his age 34 season in 2020, he’s sure to find a contract with a team somewhere, as he can provide a solid bat off the bench and a veteran presence in the clubhouse.