Both Miguel Andujar and Giancarlo Stanton are returning from season-ending injuries in 2019, but they join the team with a full bill of health for 2020. The New York Yankees have a bit of a puzzle to deal with in left field, especially if they wish to mitigate any injury concern with Stanton.
This offseason has been plagued with trade rumors, as they often are, and Andujar was at the center of them all, specifically regarding a potential trade for relief arm, Josh Hader. While these rumors were flowing, manager Aaron Boone ensured the media that Andujar would remain a part of the Yankees’ plans for 2020, as his health was in a good place.
Boone also mentioned that Andujar would begin testing out other positions, as Gio Urshela emerged as a far superior defender and hit .314 in 2019 with 21 homers to cement himself on the hot corner.
Miggy will begin earning reps in left field and at first base, but surprisingly on Tuesday, he was a part of drill fielding ground balls in right field, along with Aaron Judge and Stanton. This seemed to be more of a general outfield drill that specific position, so we can still assume he will battle it out in left.
How the New York Yankees should approach left field:
Tossing Stanton out into left seems like the most probable course of action this upcoming season. Still, the perfect scenario would incorporate both Andujar and Giancarlo, who both hold an enormous amount of offensive ability. Gaining back Stanton’s 30+ homers every season and Miggy, who hit .297 with 27 homers in 2018, will undoubtedly help the team flourish, however, finding a way to use both at the same time could be problematic.
Here’s my idea: If the Yanks can get Andujar to a point where he’s comfortable defensively in left, they can rotate the two to lessen the probability of injury and promote a strong offensive presence. It’s all about extracting as much offense as possible, which makes this scenario rather attractive. Again, it’s yet to be seen if the younger of the two can handle the defense load in the outfield.