Frazier on sneaker obsession: 'It's a problem'

From his personalized sense of style to his interest in history and two furry friends, get to know Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier.

If somebody were to go into your house, what would they be surprised to find?
I have two orange cats that are always running around in my house. One of their names is “Papi” and the other one’s name is “Phoenix.” I’ve kind of taken them on to be my own children, it feels like. I got them in Atlanta almost two years ago. They’re currently in my apartment in New York right now. [I always was a cat person], I think it was just forced by my mom. My mom always had cats growing up, and I have a soft spot for them. It’s not that I’m opposed to dogs. I just grew up with a few more cats than dogs.

How do you think your family would describe you?
I think I’m a pretty good mix of both of my parents, [Mark and Kim]. My mom is very caring for everybody, and the reason we grew up with cats is because she was going out and rescuing them. I’ve done the same. My dad’s quirky, like really funny, really out there. Just doesn’t really care about what people think about him. I think that’s kind of one of the things that I do as well. I have a lot of attributes of both my parents. I look like my mom in the face, but I have a physical build of my dad. It’s cool. They’re two of my best friends.

Where did you get your sense of style?
Mine’s evolved a lot lately. I think because I grew up more skater type, wearing the Etnies. I had the long, shaggy hair. Even until I got traded over here, I had a pretty long mop. Lately, it’s been kind of just transitioning with my shoes. I’m a big shoe guy. I have over a couple hundred pairs of shoes. …. I just think as I’ve gotten older, my style has evolved based off what the new trends that are coming out. But I just don’t want to buy expensive-style clothes. I kind of want to have my own style, because fashion’s what you make of it.

When did the sneaker collection start?
I think whenever I started to have the means to buy more. I would say it didn’t fully start when I got drafted. It started more in the last year or two. It’s really turned into a problem. They’re coming out with a different shoe every week, and I’ve got like seven pairs of shoes that there’s such a minute difference in them, and I just keep buying them. No wonder Michael Jordan’s a billionaire. He keeps tricking us to buying all of the same shoes [laughs].

Which brands are you wearing now? Every shoe I wear is an Air Jordan; I even have my cleats. All those are special-made cleats. I wear Amiri jeans, Supreme shirts, Kith shirts. I like to shop. … This offseason I want to go to SneakerCon. It’s a big sneaker convention and there’s one every month in a different city. You go out there and every shoe that’s ever been sold is there.

Which athletes are your sports fashion icons?
That’s a good question because I think that there’s a lot of stuff people wear that I can’t pull off. I really like the way Odell [Beckham Jr.] dresses. Jamal Adams now dresses pretty good. I think Russell Westbrook’s style, but I can’t do that. I like the way A$AP Rocky dresses. I think that I look at the way they dress, and maybe get an idea of how they look and see how I can make it my own.

You seem very creative, so I’m wondering which classes did you like in school?
I did not like math. I think my best subjects were social studies, econ, I was pretty good at science. … I enjoyed social studies I think the most. I felt like I was learning about something that I could actually enjoy. I like history. I like looking back at some of the stuff. I grew up in an area where we had some old battles that came through Georgia.

Speaking of looking back, what’s your best birthday memory?
I’d have to go with probably [this year, Sept. 6]. In the last couple years, I really haven’t been able to spend my birthday with anyone. Just because it’s always been during the season, we’ve been on the road. My birthday fell on a weekend [this year], so both of my parents [were] out here [for the Yankees game at Fenway Park]. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve appreciated the time that I get with them a little bit more, and the effort they put into making sure they stay involved in my everyday life. They came to Boston, and my mom got me a “The Office” T-shirt. She knows I’m a big fan of “The Office,” so it might be my favorite gift that I got this year.