The moment the ball left New York Yankees’ outfielder Miguel Andujar‘s bat, we knew his offense was essential to the batting order.
Andujar spent a majority of 2020 adapting to the outfield after Gio Urshela stole third base in 2019. Urshela, who was normally a reserve player for the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians played in 132 games last year. At 27 years old, he batted .314 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs, eclipsing every career-high by a significant margin. He was also stellar on defense, posting a .954 fielding percentage with 13 errors over nearly 1000 innings.
Urshela has smooth feet and fundamentals, making him a guaranteed defensive starter, but Andujar’s offense cannot be left behind.
In Miguel’s rookie season two years ago, he posted a .297 batting average with 27 homers and 92 RBIs. He ranked second in Rookie of the Year voting, showing that he can be a staple for the Yankees.
While manager Aaron Boone will likely find it challenging to slide him in defensively, finding a way to get him in the batting order is essential. Wasting his quality would be malpractice, but Boone has already stated that Giancarlo Stanton will likely slot into the DH role.
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What makes Andujar’s bat so special?
At 25 years old, Andujar has a lightning-quick bat with incredible power. His home run off Gerrit Cole was opposite field, showing his diversity and ability to catch up on fastballs. While it was only a scrimmage homer, hitting one off arguably the games best pitcher is difficult to do.
A majority of the Yankees’ hitters struggled in their return to live-action. Andujar seemed to have picked up right where he left off this spring. Before the MLB was shut down, Andujar enjoyed 31 at-bats, hitting one home run and logging four RBIs. Boone did mention how impressive he was in the outfield and his adaptation on defense.
“I don’t know,†Boone said when asked about his plan for Andujar. “I think you guys have gathered just from talking to me about how excited I’ve been with his work in the corner outfield spots, not only this winter but then transitioning into spring and then what we’ve even seen in some game action.â€
“He’s done a good job at third as well. He hasn’t done as much [work at] first but we’ll get him a little bit of work there,†Boone continued. “We’re prioritizing third base and the corner outfield spots, but also we will get [him] some work at first … in case we get in a situation. We have that option as well, but you know, we feel good about where he’s at in his defensive progression.â€
However, his infield work has also progressed, making him the first choice reserve option at third base. With the majority of the outfield recovering and nearly healthy, Andujar will have to beat out Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner for starting reps. Getting his bat in the order is essential. This means he could actually earn some defensive reps during a condensed 60-game season. While there’s no room for experimentation, he can easily supplement any defensive deficiencies with his offensive prowess.
Nonetheless, Andujar has a long way to go before he can be a starting player defensively. Which severely limits his impact on the team moving forward.