The hot corner for the New York Yankees was a question mark going into the 2019 season. Youth star Miguel Andujar was dealing with a supposed shoulder injury, but he was expected to play through it. Several games in, the Yanks elected to shut him down for the year due to a partially torn labrum.
Miguel’s departure to the IL gave a career-average player a chance to become the starting third baseman for the Bronx bombers. In comes Gio Urshela, who had previously played for Toronto Blue Jays and sported a .233 batting average over 43 at-bats. Believe it or not, that was his best season to date before joining the Yankees this past year.
Urshela blew the doors open in regards to his potential, logging a .314 BA with 21 homers and 74 RBIs (baseball-reference). His impressive season came on the back of a minor fundamental change in his batting stance and launch angle.
Who will earn the third base job for the New York Yankees in 2020?
There should be no question that Urshela is the man for the Bombers at the hot corner. His defensive abilities were fantastic, earning a .954 fielding percentage and committing 13 errors. At first glance, those numbers don’t scream efficiency, but his glove was often essential to the Yankees squeaking out close games.
In comparison, Andujar suffered a very different fate on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded three errors in his first four games, while Urshela tallied 13 in 109 appearances. He was on pace for a staggering amount of errors, which is noted. Based on his defensive prowess alone, Gio should earn the starting spot right out of the gate. Manager Aaron Boone can approach this position battle with confidence knowing both players are more than capable of playing at the MLB level.
Boone could also play the hot-hand on any given week, but Urshela’s fantastic 2019 campaign earns him the initial start.