Hitting .297 as a rookie is awful impressive, and for Miguel Andujar, New York Yankees third-baseman, it seems as if he’s just getting started as a big-leaguer.
Andujar performed extremely well offensively in 2018, recording 47 doubles and 27 homers. There’s no question that he could develop into one of the league’s more elite bats, but his defensive skills have raised a few red flags. He struggled through 15 errors last season, and that was a driving force behind the Manny Machado to the Yankees rumors.
Some reports have stated that the Yankees should consider making Andujar their primary designated hitter. Personally, I don’t think this a good move, simply because developing their youth star should be a priority. Andujar can’t be a DH forever, and allowing him to adapt to the speed and power of the MLB is essential to his growth.
The DH spot will likely be taken:
With Clint Frazier returning to full health, I would anticipate him earning the starting left field job after he regains his form. That will likely place slugger Giancarlo Stanton in the DH spot until his services are needed in the field.
The probability is that Andujar will retain his starting defensive role, but he will need to make major strides to keep the faith from management.
His hitting is destined to even out:
Andujar hitting as well as he did last season could be a mirage, as it was unexpected. Betting on him reaching those type of numbers again would be a stretch – I would put my chips in on him averaging out at around .270 in 2019. He recorded the most doubles in the history of the Yankees at third-base with 47 and that will probably fall to around 30. Focusing on hitting for contact should be Miguel’s priority moving forward.