All-Star Battle: Adam Frazier and Ozzie Albies Battle for All-Star Starter
The Pittsburgh Pirates roster as a whole is built of young players still trying to find their way in Major League Baseball. Because of this, there aren't many players getting recognition on a National Scale. However, one player who has been getting recognition is second baseman, Adam Frazier. Not only is he one of the top hitters on the Pirates this season, but one of the best hitters in all of the National League. In 77 games this season, Frazier has hit .327 with four home runs and 28 RBI while walking 29 times and striking out 37 times. He is currently second in the National League in batting average and hits (98) and is tied for second with 24 doubles this season.
However, standing in his way of being the National League starting second baseman is Ozzie Albies from the Atlanta Braves and Gavin Lux from the Los Angeles Dodgers. As of last night, Frazier was leading the voting for the starting job, but Albies is coming up hot on his trail. With voting going through Thursday, there is still time as this battle heats up between two of the top players in baseball. While Albies doesn't have the batting average that Frazier has, he is having a more productive season. Albies has played in 76 games this season and has hit .253 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI. Today, we compare these two stellar second baseman as we look at who should be the National League starting second baseman in Colorado on July 13th.
Frazier vs. Albies
When comparing two of the best players at their position in the game, you have to look at both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Looking at the offensive side of things they are two very similar players who are successful in their parts of the lineup. With Adam Frazier being a leadoff hitter, he is more of a contact hitter. His .327 batting average speaks for itself, as it is second in the National League. But, he does more than just hit singles. He is tied for second in the National League with 24 doubles and is ninth in the National League in OPS sitting at .862 after last night's game.
As for Albies, he is a guy who spends most of his time in the middle of the Atlanta Braves order and therefore gets more run-scoring opportunities. His batting average is much lower than Frazier's at .253, but he has much more power and run production. Albies has hit 13 home runs and driven in 49 for the Braves in his 76 games played this season. He is one double off Frazier's pace with 23 and has an OPS a few ticks lower than Frazier at .821. There is also the speed factor that comes into play for Albies, as he has successfully stolen 10 bases this season compared to just four stolen bases for Frazier. Albies is a guy who relies on his power and run production, while Frazier is a guy who is looking to make contact on a consistent basis.
However, the thing that truly separates these guys from a offensive standpoint is their strikeout abilities. Adam Frazier is one of the hardest players to strikeout in baseball, going down on strikes at just an 11.9% clip. On the other hand, Albies has been struck out at more of a league average rate of 16.9%. It is very rare that you see Frazier chase a pitch out of the strike zone, and more often than not he is going to make contact when he swings the bat. Both players have a really good eye, with Frazier walking 8.6% of the time and Albies walking 8.3% of the time, so neither are easy outs at the plate. However, the batting average and strikeout rate give Frazier a slight edge over Albies when it comes to the offensive side of the ball.
Stellar Defense
Not only are Frazier and Albies very closely rated offensively, but the battle on the defensive side is a hot one as well. This season, Albies ranks slightly better than Frazier with a .989 fielding percentage, but both players were Gold Glove nominees last season. So far in 2021, Frazier has a fielding percentage of .983, committing five errors in 621.1 innings at second base. Albies has played a little more second base than Frazier has this season and has committed just three errors in his 659 innings at second base. Both were NL Gold Glove nominees last season and both ended up losing out to former St. Louis Cardinal Kolten Wong.
All-around, both players are almost identical on the defensive side of the ball. Frazier has turned 32 double plays and racked up 120 putouts while Albies has turned 39 double plays and racked up 115 putouts. The two players also have almost identical WAR numbers with Frazier sitting at a 2.4 WAR while Albies is behind him at 2.3. On the defensive side of the ball, the one thing Frazier has that Albies doesn't is the versatility to play multiple positions. Albies has only ever played second base while Frazier has that ability to go out and play multiple different positions and play them well. Frazier can play second base and then go out to any outfield position and play it at a high level.
Overall, it is a tight race between these two players and both could be worthy starters in this year's all-star game. But in the end, it comes down to Frazier has been more valuable to the Pirates than Albies has been to the Braves. With the Pirates being as bad as they are, Frazier was directly responsible for helping the team to some of their wins this season. However, in Albies case, he has more talent around him including Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr. and others. Frazier has truly impacted his team and is putting together the best season of his career by far to this point. We will find out in a couple of days who the starter will be, and hopefully for the Pirates it is Frazier who gets the nod.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (29-49) wrap-up their three game series against the Colorado Rockies (33-47) this afternoon at 3:10 pm. Chad Kuhl (2-4, 5.05) looks to continue his winning streak on the mound as he goes against Jon Gray (4-6, 3.97). You can watch the game on AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.
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