Miguel Andujar has exploded onto the scene for the Yankees
The Yankees entered this season with massive expectations due to the young talent on the roster. Ironically, Miguel Andujar didn’t begin the year with the big league club. The way he’s played recently, he may end up being one of the team’s most important young stars of the season.
Andujar has already etched his name in the Yankees record book alongside such luminaries as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. Those three are the only players in team history to collect extra base hits in seven consecutive games under the age of 24 per Elias Sports Bureau.
That may seem like a bit of an obscure record, but putting your name in elite company like that is still a terrific accomplishment. The record also doesn’t fully describe what Andujar has meant to the club since his call up. He’s also managed to provide a real presence in the bottom of Aaron Boone’s lineup. Having your eight hitter come up to the Majors and hit .316 is a real plus for the team.
The strangest thing about Andujar is that he’s somehow managed to become one of the rarest things in all of baseball. Seeing a underhyped Yankees prospect is akin to seeing an albino lion walking down Broadway in broad daylight. You have to admit it could possibly occur, but you never thought you’d live long enough to see it.
At any rate, Yankees fans have every right to be very excited about Andujar moving forward. In this piece, we take a look at the three biggest reasons New York fans can be excited about Miguel Andujar’s impact on the team.
3. He’s cheap
Brian Cashman and Yankee ownership have made keeping payroll at a manageable level a huge priority. As a result, having a starting third baseman that only accounts for .32 percent of the team’s projected salary this season is a huge asset.
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As a pre-arbitration player, Andujar is playing for relative peanuts this season. He’ll only earn an estimated $539,856 this season. For those wondering, that’s less than 10% of what Sonny Gray is stealing from the franchise this season.
Andujar’s low salary isn’t only important to helping the team’s bottom line this season. It’s arguably more important for Cashman and company moving forward. You may have heard that next year’s free agent class has quite a bit of star power. If the team is going to sign the likes of Manny Machado or Bryce Harper they will need to surround them with some inexpensive talent.
The Yankees aren’t afraid to spend big on transcendent stars, but growing prospects in-house has always helped the club control payroll when they’re at their best. Having Andujar under cheap control for the next few seasons could play a big part in allowing the Yankees to add premium talent at other positions through free agency.
2. He might make Brandon Drury expendable
Brandon Drury might be the only person associated with the Yankees who isn’t excited about Andujar’s hot start. It was his trip to the Disabled List with migraines and blurred vision that opened the door for Andujar to seize the third base position.
It was always unlike that Drury would hold off Andujar forever, but he did win the job out of Spring Training. Aaron Boone was clearly willing to give him a chance to delay Andujar’s promotion for another season.
Now, it seems like Drury is going to struggle to find his way back into Boone’s starting lineup. The Yankees could elect to hold on to him as a cheap, flexible bench player. In truth, that’s the most likely outcome.
There is another possibility though. Given the club’s pitching needs they may try to dangle Drury to teams in need of infield help to acquire a helpful arm. He’s not going to fetch an ace by himself, but he could lessen the prospects required to acquire a stud at the trade deadline. Keep an eye on Cashman to see if he seems willing to move Drury to strengthen his rotation.
1. He takes pressure off Torres
There is zero question that Gleyber Torres has the talent to become an excellent Major League player. The biggest risk to Torres’ development is the massive pressure that was inevitably going to accompany his call up to the big club.
Andujar’s hot start has done something to take a bit of the heat off Torres to produce immediately. He won’t be able to buy Torres an entire season in obscurity, but he might keep the media away from overanalyzing him for another week or two.
For example, most Yankee fans haven’t even noticed that Torres didn’t get his first hit until last night’s game against the Twins. His one of eight start is a ridiculously low sample size for concern, but it still might have gained more attention if not for Andujar’s relative heroics.
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In the long run, most everyone associated with the Yankees believes that Torres will emerge as a superstar while Andujar’s ceiling might be as an above-average regular. You can’t overestimate how important Andujar’s early play will be in giving Torres the time and space to develop at his own pace. That’s not a luxury normally afforded to Yankees prospects, but Torres is getting the benefit of the doubt currently. He has Andujar to thank for that.