Mike Tauchman has been a slow blooming acquisition of the New York Yankees from the Colorado Rockies. He has spent most of his time in the minors and has shown his abilities to play almost anywhere on the field; late in the 2019 season, he became one of the Yankee’s hottest bats. Let’s find out a bit more about this versatile player. Tauchman, like a lot of other players, didn’t have the season he would have wished for in the 2020 shortened season.
Mike is 30 years old; he is a multi-talented athlete, having attended high school in Palatine, Illinois, where he played baseball and was the football team’s quarterback. In his senior year, he led a come from behind win against future NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He attended Bradley University, where he played baseball for the Bradley Braves. In his senior in 2013, he won the Missouri Conference Player of the Year Award.
His time with the Colorado Rockies
After college, he would be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 summer draft. From 2013 through 2016, he would hit only one home run. But in 2017, he would hit 16 long balls. He would make his major league debut on June 27, 2017. He would play in 31 games in 2017, hitting .222. In 2018 he would be Pacific Coast League Player of the Week from May 14–20. In this week, he would make a big splash. He would hit .417 with 5 home runs with 8 runs scored, and a total of 27 bases. That wouldn’t last as he would only hit .097 for in 21 games in the major league.
Tauchman makes his Yankee Debut.
General Manager of the New York Yankees Brian Cashman saw something special in Mike and made a trade for him, making him a New York Yankee. After the trade in March, he would make the opening day roster, which was a surprise to many Yankee fans, as it had appeared that Tyler Wade had earned the spot. Many questioned Cashman’s wisdom. In the first half of the season, he would bounce back and forth from Scranton Wilkes/Barre and the stadium.
Before the All-Star break, he would hit .228 with four home runs in 42 games. In the summer dog days, Tauchman would catch fire. In his final 45 games, Tauchman powered nine home runs, 20 extra-base hits, 30 RBI, and slashed .315/.395/.582. Tauchman’s peak came in July when he had 13 RBI in 16 games, plus an OPS of 1.224. He seemed to find power, and became clutch out of thin air, and become an unexpectedly reliable contributor for the team. Unfortunately, Tauchman’s season came to a premature end after a Grade 2 calf strain that sidelined him in September. He likely wouldn’t have played much in the playoffs anyway, but it was a sour end to a breakout season for Tauchman.
Tauchman will most likely stay in the majors.
At 30, Mike should be coming into his prime. Last year the Yankees used him out of necessity due to the unprecedented number of injuries. New York Yankees field manager Aaron Boone will want to keep Tauchman around as he also adds an important left-hand bat to the Yankee’s overly heavy lineup of right-handed batters, especially if they do not resign Brett Gardner. With his excellent outfield defense, Mike is ready to contribute.
Tauchman is presently on the 40 man roster, but if it is reduced to 26 players, it is still likely that Tauchman will remain in the majors, probably as a bench player. With Giancarlo Stanton as the designated hitter and Clint Frazier in left, Aaron Hicks in center, and Aaron Judge in right field, Tauchman will likely be back up for all of the outfielders over Tyler Wade. Both are lefty hitters in the lineup, but Tauchman is the better hitter. If the often injured Aaron Judge is out, Frazier will move to right field, and Tauchman would become the everyday left-fielder. The only question remaining for Tauchman is if the New York Yankees re-sign Brett Gardner, who is also an outfielder. If they bring Gardner back, Tauchman may see less playing time or even start the season in Scranton Wilkes/Barre.