Contradicting a report that came out Wednesday morning, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says Clint Frazier never requested to wear Mickey Mantle’s retired No. 7 jersey.
“Yankees GM Brian Cashman said via text the alleged story that prospect Clint Frazier asked for Mickey Mantle’s No. 7 is ‘totally untrue.’ wrote ESPN’s Michael Marchand. “He said he checked with the Yankees clubhouse manager and the personnel from the team’s minor leagues. Cashman said it ‘never happened.’”
Frazier is the team’s No. 2-ranked prospect, per MLB.com, and he’s one of the players most likely to get called up to the big leagues. He’s been working his way up the ladder in the minors since the 2013 season, and there is a lot of buzz after he had a very solid spring training.
Of course, another aspect of Frazier’s spring training is that he was forced to chop his locks after showing up a bit shaggier than the Yankees liked.
Apparently, it had become “a distraction.”
Needless to say, a lot of people had fun with this whole topic on social media.
Back to the Mantle angle, it would have taken some big brass ones to ask if the Yankees would un-retire No. 7. Either Cashman is covering up for his young up-and-coming star, or the first report was just garbage for ratings.