Pirates manager: Adam Frazier's backhand stop 'one of best plays I have ever seen a 2B make'

May 2—The Pittsburgh Pirates weren't sure which was more unbelievable, the backhand stop and jump-throw that Adam Frazier made or the way the second baseman shrugged it off afterward.

"It's one of the best plays I have ever seen a second baseman make," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the 12-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night at PNC Park.

The Pirates were in a defensive pull shift against No. 5 hitter Paul DeJong in the fifth when he hit a grounder between Frazier and shortstop Kevin Newman. Frazier went to his right to made the backhand stab and, by Shelton's estimation, was "probably five steps onto the grass on the backside" when he jumped and threw across his body to first baseman Colin Moran to get DeJong out.

"I thought Newman might have had a shot, so I took a little deeper route," Frazier said. "I mean, honestly, I didn't know if I would have time to get him or not, so I just caught it, jumped and threw it. (Moran) made a nice pick over there. He completed it. So, yeah, cool play."

One that reminded some of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter's signature play.

Once the Pirates got back to the home dugout, starting pitcher Trevor Cahill asked Frazier if it was the best play he's ever made.

"And, normal 'Fraz,' he was like, 'Uh yeah, I don't know,'" Cahill said. "But, yeah, it was awesome. I'm not really going to change based on what kind of plays are made, but it definitely is nice to see and it's fun to watch. It's exciting baseball. He made a lot of good plays, and I hadn't seen him a whole lot, but it's been pretty impressive so far."

After making a throwing error Wednesday against Kansas City and a fielding error on Friday against the Cardinals — one play after making a diving stop at second to turn a 4-6-3 double play — the two-time Gold Glove finalist was more worried about making a clean play than a spectacular one.

So, Frazier wasn't worried about where this one ranked.

"I've got not idea. I guess it's up there," Frazier said. "I just try to catch 'em all that I can. ... That's all I was thinking about, is just making the next play."

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Kevin by email at kgorman@triblive.com or via Twitter .