The Iowa Cubs just took a 2-1 lead in the top of the first inning during Tuesday-evening’s game against the Columbus Clippers in Principal Park. The final hit, an RBI single by Narciso Crook, brought Iowa’s number 5 batter to the plate.
“Now batting for the Iowa Cubs, the designated batter, No. 8, Jackson Frazier,” Joe Hammen, the Iowa announcer, told the crowd.
A few fans cheer as Frazier walks to the board. He is a familiar face as one of the Chicago Cubs’ off-season signings. But it’s a different name. Frazier, who was previously called “Clint Frazier”, now uses a different name: Jackson.
“I’m not legally going to change my name in any way,” Frazier said. “And personally I don’t care what anyone calls me because I know it’s weird that people look at me and call me a different name than they already are, no matter how long they’ve been.”
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The move may take some getting used to, as Frazier carried his legal first name throughout his professional career when the Cleveland Indians made him a first-round draft pick and traded him to the New York Yankees, where he spent five seasons.
But Jackson has always had a special place in his heart. It was a name his mother wanted to use for Frazier until his father rejected her. She had to settle for using it as his middle name. But Frazier said he’s always enjoyed it and even occasionally used it instead of Clint.
“Clint is sometimes hard for people to understand,” Frazier said. “A lot of people call me ‘Cliff’. A lot of people what, ‘What?'”
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Frazier said some of his friends, family and even teammates in the major leagues have named him that. So much so that he’s been nicknamed “Ask Jack”. The nickname comes from his ability to recall random life facts.
Frazier now has the Cubs announce him as Jackson Frazier. It has even changed in the official squad of the team. It was a move he said he asked the Yankees about while playing in New York.
“They told me it wouldn’t be the right time to do it because it would just be a completely different story that isn’t about my game,” Frazier said.
But now may be the perfect time for Frazier, who is looking to clean up the slate during what has turned out to be a frustrating season. Frazier was added to the injured list after undergoing appendectomy earlier this year. He then returned to Chicago, but struggled to get at bats and was reassigned.
Frazier could have become a free agent but chose to stay with the Cubs and return to the minor leagues.
“I used to joke and tell my teammates up there like, ‘Clint got DFAed, but Jackson didn’t,’” said Frazier.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Clint Frazier: Outfielder Now Goes On ‘Jackson Frazier’