Mike Tauchman, the utility outfielder
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 but also has shown his abilities to play almost anywhere on the field, late in the season he became one of the Yankees hottest bats. Let’s find out a bit more about this versatile player.
Mike is 29 years old, he is a multi-talented athlete having attended high school in Palatine, Illinois, where he played baseball and was the quarterback for the football team. 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.
Prior to 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 29, Mike should be coming into his prime. Last year the Yankees used him out of necessity due to the unprecedented number of injuries. This year, after last year’s surprising season, you may be seeing Mike “The Sockman” taking a much more major role in the Yankee success. He will most likely be platooning between center and left field at least until Aaron Hicks returns from Tommy John surgery. Aaron Boone will want to keep Tauchman around as he also adds an important left-hand bat to the Yankees overly heavy lineup of right-handed batters. With his excellent outfield defense, Mike is ready to contribute.
Just as the coronavirus has delayed the start of the season, it will also affect different players in different ways. For James Paxton, for instance, the delay has meant that although he was to miss the first two months of the season, he may now not miss any time at all. Conversely, with injured players currently available, it may affect whether players like Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade, and Mike Tauchman get to play daily, or if they stay on the major league level. With the New York Yankees needing left-hand bats in the lineup, it just may make Clint Frazier the man out.