Hillcats' Frazier sticking with what works

Right now, the most appropriate walk-up music for Clint Frazier might by Stevie Wonder's "Superstition."

The Indians' No. 2 prospect smacked three hits, drove in four runs and scored three times as Class A Advanced Lynchburg defeated Frederick, 17-2, on Tuesday.

Frazier was right in the middle of the Hillcats' big second inning, plating a pair of runs with a double to left field and scoring on Joe Sever's two-run homer. The 20-year-old outfielder added an RBI single to left in the fourth and smacked another run-scoring double to right in the fifth.

"I think hitting is contagious," Frazier said of the club's season-high 17 runs. "Our team came out with a lot of energy and I think it showed in the box.

"I feel really good right now. I've made some adjustments, it's resulted in me having some success at the plate. Right now, I'm going through a good time at the plate and I'm trying to build off of it every single night."

Frazier in the midst of a big second half, compiling a .357/.458/.592 slash line in 43 Carolina League games. The Georgia native has gone deep six times, scoring 35 times and driving in 29 runs during that stretch, and credits some adjustments he made after the All-Star break.

"I changed my setup at the plate," he said. "I just rest the bat on my shoulder right now. It's just something that helps me relax more. I'm really trying to stick to my approach at the plate, I think that's been the difference-maker. I have a pregame routine with our hitting coach Bobby [Magallanes] that I follow. I can't thank him enough for what he's helped me with."

Those adjustments have led MLB.com's No. 41 prospect to be a tad bit cautious when it comes to changes.

"Right now, I'm coming out here and trying to stick with what works," he said. "I'm being superstitious for the first time in my life. I went through a streak where I wore my pants up every single game because I either reached base or got a hit. What bat I use in a game, my cleats, just the little things like that, like having a certain kind of gum in my mouth every time I'm up. It sounds very dumb, but it's things like that that make me believe in it."

Coming off a first half in which he posted a .730 OPS for the Hillcats, Frazier is quite happy with what he's done since.

"The first half wasn't a disappointment, but it wasn't a good taste in my mouth," the 2013 first-round pick said. "I knew there were some adjustments to be made going into the second half. Overall, it was a good learning experience to have a first half that was rocky."

Sever finished 4-for-6 with three RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle, and Paul Hendrix scored three times for Lynchburg.

Dace Kime gave up a run on four hits while striking out four over six innings to improve to 3-5 for the Hillcats.