The New York Yankees tried to maximize former prospect, Miguel Andujar, over the years before designating him for assignment several days ago. Andujar ended up landing with the Pittsburgh Pirates — he’s already off to a solid start over three games and 13 plate appearances.
Across 27 games with the Yankees this season, Andujar hit .229 with a 25% on-base rate, featuring a 22% strike out rate and 3% walk rate.
Andujar has been chasing his 2018 metrics for several years, hitting .297 with a 33% on-base rate, including 27 homers and 92 RBIs in 149 games. Those numbers never managed to replicate themselves, but getting out of the bright lights of Yankee Stadium and battling with superior players should help him along with his development.
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The Yankees finally let Miguel Andujar go:
Andújar had requested a trade before the deadline this year, but general manager Brian Cashman refused to send them on his way for pennies on the dollar. In the end, the Yankees ended up releasing him for nothing, and Pittsburgh has gotten some solid value instantly.
“I’m super happy to be here,” Andujar told reporters. “When I heard the news, I was happy to come here. It’s really exciting.”
Andujar reflected on his best season to date, indicating that everyday reps helped significantly with his confidence.
“I think I just had a lot of confidence [in 2018],” Andujar said. “I think playing every day helped me get into a good routine and I could be the best version of myself out on the field.”
Over three games with Pittsburgh, Andujar is hitting .364 with a 38.5% on-base rate, including five RBIs and a 7.7% walk rate. Yankee fans won’t lose sleep over Andujar joining another team, but they may wonder what he might’ve been if his production remained consistent after the 2018 season.
“For me, if I’m in the game, I’m happy,” Andujar said. “That’s what I want.”