Finding a player to advocate for is difficult when it comes to the New York Yankees, as a majority of the team is on the injured list and the starting lineup has been ever revolving this season.
However, one player that has stood out from the rest is third baseman, Gio Urshela. Some might argue that Gary Sanchez has been even more impressive, and they might be right, but what Urshela has done for the Bombers since taking over for Miguel Andujar has been nothing short of fantastic.
Boasting an astounding .338 batting average with 23 hits over 68 at-bats has helped the Yanks reach a 20-14 record despite losing most of their starting team.
The New York Yankees continue to struggle with injuries:
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Andujar have all been hit by the injury bug this season, forcing players like Urshela to step in and pick up the slack.
Besides Gio’s great hitting, he’s been a monster on the hot corner defensively. With a .959 fielding percentage at third and seven double plays to his name in just 18 games started, Urshela has proven to himself and the Yankees brass that he can start in the infield.
It makes the return of Andujar a bit tricky, but featuring him as the designated hitter should allow the Bombers to extract the most value out of the pair.
Take a look at this clip of Urshela bare-handing the ball and whipping it over to first for the out. Plays like this are underrated and can be the difference between an earned run or not.
Gio Urshela is unreal. Another defensive gem. https://t.co/kdINtAxpRS
— Chris Dixon (@cdixon25) May 6, 2019
The Yankees went on to win this game 7-3 against the Seattle Mariners in the first of a four-game series. Now, if the clip above didn’t cut it for you, check out this outstanding effort to snag a ball going over Urshela’s head at third.
¡JOYITA??! Gio Urshela sigue demostrando su talento a la defensiva en la tercera base. El colombiano?? se ha robado las miradas en Nueva York. #MLB pic.twitter.com/56JoaPuY5a
— Toque Sports (@ToqueSports) May 7, 2019
Reaching back and managing to secure this out prevents a good chance for the Mariners to make a comeback in the third inning. With no outs on the board, this would’ve been a base-hit with the opportunity for a run-producing inning.
The bottom line, gaining Andujar back is fantastic for the team’s offensive production, but they simply cannot replace Urshela at third with the way he’s been playing. Manager Aaron Boone must stick with the hot hand for the time being.