Alexander Wilson
Eight straight wins. The New York Yankees are rolling right now, and the bottom of their lineup has had a lot to do with it. Saturday against the Astros, the bottom third of the order collected seven hits and four RBIs in an 8-3 victory, and nobody contributed more than Jose Caballero, who went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the fifth inning. He’s now hitting .280/.316/.430 on the season with a 108 wRC+, meaning he’s 8% better than the average MLB hitter. After the disaster that was April, that line looks like a completely different player.
It is a completely different player.
The Numbers Underneath Are Complicated
I’ll be straight with you about this. Caballero’s underlying contact metrics are not good. He doesn’t rank above average in a single meaningful Statcast category. His exit velocity, barrel rate, and hard-hit rate are all below average, which normally tells you a player is getting to his numbers through luck rather than genuine quality of contact. In Caballero’s case, that’s probably partly true. His production over the past few weeks has outpaced what his contact quality would typically generate, and some regression is probably coming.
But here’s the thing: the Yankees will take it, and they should. A utility player who is getting somewhat lucky and producing a 108 wRC+ is still producing a 108 wRC+. The at-bats are happening. The runs are being driven in. The defense at shortstop has been solid, with four defensive runs saved across 230.2 innings. When a player is giving you above-average offense and respectable defense at a premium position, you don’t pull him out of the lineup to discuss underlying metrics.
The Volpe Problem
Anthony Volpe is getting closer to his return every day, and when he comes back, Boone faces a real decision. The obvious answer is that Volpe walks back into the starting shortstop job he’s held for three years, and Caballero slides back into the super utility role the Yankees originally envisioned for him. That’s the more likely outcome, and it probably makes the most sense for this roster.
But Caballero in a utility role while hitting .280 with a 108 wRC+ is not a bad thing at all. It might actually be the best version of this roster construction. He can cover shortstop on off days, play second or third when matchups call for it, and give Boone flexibility to rest regulars without putting a below-average bat in the lineup as the replacement. That’s exactly what a good utility man provides, and right now Caballero is bringing that with a hot bat attached to it.
The situation that was causing real concern a month ago has completely flipped. Caballero was one of the worst hitters in baseball through the first two weeks of the season. Now he’s above average, defensively solid, and about to be moved out of the starting lineup for a returning starter who has his own questions to answer coming off labrum surgery. Only in baseball does a player’s best stretch of the season coincide with him about to lose his starting job.
The Yankees are eight games into a winning streak and Caballero just hit a home run. It’s a good problem to have.
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