Baltimore Orioles Sign Adam Frazier

Entering Thursday with only one major league signing this offseason, the Baltimore Orioles have made another move. Jon Heyman broke the news that the Orioles have signed 2B/OF Adam Frazier to a one year, $8 million contract for the 2023 season. The deal is pending a physical

While not a pitcher, we’ll take it!

If this signing were prior to the 2022 season, I’d be gushing right now over what a good addition this is. I still think there is upside here, but his 2022 season was, in a word, bad. Playing in 156 games, he struggled to a .238/.301/.311 slash line, mustering only three home runs and 42 RBI’s at the plate. He struck out 73 times, two short of a career high.

His surface stats don’t look good, and, well, neither do the advanced stats. His Baseball Savant is dominated by blue, not something you want. His average exit velocity sits in just the third percentile, with his hard hit percentage and barrel percentage both in the second percentile.

Baltimore Orioles sign Adam Frazier

What he does have going for him is a 95th percentile ranking in both whiff percentage and K percentage, plus his outs above average, sitting in the 90th percentile. But it goes right back down when you see a 43rd percentile walk percentage, and 11th percentile for expected slugging percentage.

Defensively, Adam Frazier is able to handle both second base and the outfield, but he spent a lion’s share of time at second base last season, handling 124 games at the keystone. He played 38 games in the outfield, split between 16 in left, 21 in right, and two in center field. He was on the hook for six errors at second base, giving him a .986 fielding percentage for the year over there. To summarize, he’s an adept defender at multiple positions around the diamond.

So, yeah, Adam Frazier is not going to move the needle for this team. Coming off a down 2022 season, he’s likely a platoon candidate at second base, with the ability to draw starts in the outfield when necessary. It’s another depth move for the Orioles, but only one season removed from an all star campaign in 2021, maybe the Baltimore Orioles can turn him back into all star form.