The Yankees have been off to a great start this season, and throughout the farm system, there are also some fantastic performances out of the gate. One guy that is hitting the ground running is Elijah Dunham.
The former Hoosier is playing some great baseball with Triple-A Scranton, and he could be someone that is a call-up at some point this season. The Yanks have a great collection of farm bats, and Dunham is one of the many fighting for a spot on the MLB roster.
Elijah Dunham is performing in Triple-A:
Big Cheese is showing what makes him the talented player he is, as he’s been playing well on both sides of the ball. Dunham is OPSing .810 on the young season and has a homer and four steals to go with it. He’s also been superb on the defensive side of things, manning all three outfield spots and making some fantastic plays.
He has a 109 wRC+ through 13 games and also has an 8.8% BB% to a 17.5% K rate. He’s shown some excellent discipline and batted-ball skills, and his power-speed combination are beginning to speak for itself. The Yankees will have an interesting outfield alignment predicament as the season passes by, and I believe Dunham will be in consideration for one of the spots.
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The Yankees could use his qualities:
Even if he were to be utilized as a fourth outfielder, it would bring some value to the Yanks’ bench, which has been floundering at this point. Hicks isn’t a guy that should have a spot on this team for much longer, IKF is solely there for his defensive capabilities, and it’ll be interesting to see what Donaldson’s role will be. Dunham hasn’t had much time at the AAA level, but his early success thus far is a great indication of how he’s able to adjust to more difficult pitching.
Now, with Stanton’s injury keeping him sidelined for multiple weeks, maybe Dunham gets a shot after all. Andres Chaparro is another name to watch, as he could potentially fill in at DH. Elijah is such an intriguing option because he can man all three spots in the outfield, play a bit of 1B if necessary, and has a great approach at the plate. He can handle the duties at the MLB level, they just have to give him an opportunity.
If the start of this season is any indication of what’s in store for Big Cheese, this could be a huge year for him. He was great with Double-A Somerset last season, as he belted 17 HR, swiped 37 bags, and posted a 118 wRC+. He’s off to a great start, and hopefully, he can keep it up enough to get a call.