When Miguel Andujar missed last season due to should surgery, I think a lot of New York Yankees fans had forgotten how much of an impact player he was for the Bombers. Now that Andujar is fully recovered, another big season for the young slugger should be expected with no hesitation.
In his rookie season, Andujar batted .297 with 27 home runs and 92 runs batted in. According to FanGraphs, that season Andujar held a 91.8% contact rate when swinging at pitches inside the zone and an overall contact percentage of 81.9%, which is very good. Also, an OPS of .855 during your rookie season is nothing to forget about.
As every Yankee fan knows, Andujar controversially fell short for Rookie of the Year to Shohei Ohtani. To put Andujar’s rookie year into perspective, consider the following MLB star’s rookie numbers: Cody Bellinger held a 267BA with 39 home runs and 97 runs batted in while winning ROY. Ronald Acuna Jr. held a .293BA with 26 home runs and 64 runs batted in, while also winning Rookie of the Year. Bryce Harper held a .270BA while slugging 22 home runs and 59 runs batted in, while also being awarded ROY.
Granted, Andujar is still young and has a lot to prove until we can truly compare him to some of the league’s current bests. However, there is a trend with the New York Yankees’ young players. The development that the Yankees have done with Glyeber Torres, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino, and many others is something special and I wouldn’t be surprised if Andujar develops the same.