Clint Frazier came to play. He also came for business. Like a heavyweight boxer, he entered the ring to a raucous crowd and exited with a stoppage by TKO. In the most highly anticipated high school game of the year, Frazier’s Loganville (GA) team beat best friend, and other best player in the country, Austin Meadows and his Grayson (GA) team 14-4, which ended in the sixth inning by mercy rule.
Clint Frazier, a 6’-1”, 190-pound right-hander blessed with some of the best bat speed you will ever see, ignited the crowd before the game, hitting 23 home runs in batting practice. He also threw a strike from mid-center field, showing off his canon arm that has been clocked at 98 mph from the outfield.
He popped out to Meadows in his first at-bat and struck out in his second at-bat on a filthy change-up from Grayson starter Chris Erwin, a left-hander. In his third at-bat, with the game tied at 2-2 with two on and two out, he hit the first pitch he saw really far. It cleared the trees in left field and one scout called it the farthest ball he has ever seen a high school player hit … ever. To say the crowd went nuts is an understatement.
In the top of the sixth, Frazier came up for his fourth at-bat with his team leading 8-4. Korey Anderson, another left-hander, got two quick strikes on him. He then launched an 0-2 curveball over the left field fence for his second home run of the game and, once again, sent the crowd filled with nearly 100 scouts, GM’s and countless fans into a tizzy.
Game. Set. Match.
Clint Frazier finished 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI and is now hitting .600 (15-for-25) with six home runs and 18 RBI over seven games. He generates tremendous power from his strong wrists and the before mentioned bat speed. Along with his plus arm, he also has plus speed and is aggressive in every aspect of the game. He’s an electric player who you would be hard pressed to find another player who enjoys the game more.
Meadows, a 6’-4”, left-hander who also has tremendous power, a plus arm and plus speed, finished the game 0-for-1 with a walk and hit-by-pitch. He didn’t get much to hit and by no means “slipped” in anyone’s eyes as far as draft stock goes. On the season, he is hitting .471 (8-for-17) with one home run and six RBI. This is a kid who led U16 Team USA to a gold medal in 2011 at the IBAF Youth Championships held in Mexico. He was the MVP of the tournament, hitting a ridiculous .537 (22-for-41) over eight games with nine extra-base hits, six stolen bases and set a Team USA record by knocking in an absurd 28 runs.
Both are best friends. Both play a couple of miles from each other. And both are high-character kids who play the game right and should be among the top 10 players selected in the upcoming 2013 MLB draft. This was just one night, but it was owned by Clint Frazier.
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