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A few days ago, back on May 4th, we asked "what happened to Clint Frazier's power?" The Cleveland Indians outfield prospect has excellent bat speed and raw power but was struggling to keep his SLG above .300 in High-A. We didn't have a clear answer to the question but keeping in mind the principle of writer hubris, we concluded that:
Perhaps by posing these questions we have ensured that Frazier will get hot right now. The Universe likes to make fools of us all.
Well guess what? Since that article was posted, Frazier has gone 7-for-17 (.412) with a double, his first homer of the season, three walks and just one strikeout.
So, who else can we bless with a performance surge? How about Texas Rangers outfield prospect Nomar Mazara? The 20-year-old is hitting .300/.360/.356 in in 90 at-bats for Double-A Frisco. Nothing wrong with the batting average and OBP, but his power is off this year, with a .056 ISO and zero homers thus far, way down the pace from the 22 homers he hit in 2014.
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As with Frazier, there is no question about Mazara's raw power and the thump was certainly evident last year. Also like Frazier, Mazara has tinkered with his swing mechanics on and off during his young career; in fact both have made adjustments with swing features such as leg kicks and toe-taps looking for a permanent approach that works against advanced pitching.
He is hitting the ball more on the ground this year, but given the sample size that can turn around quickly and as noted there is nothing wrong with his average or OBP. Mazara is not being over-matched.
Mazara's power will come around. Of course, if the Universe is really out to get us, he'll have a big slump first. . .
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