Miguel Andujar is playing his way into All-Star consideration
Miguel Andujar isn’t the biggest name in the Yankee lineup, but the rookie should be right in the mix for an All-Star game selection.
The Yankees have quite a few players who will be in the mix for All-Star game invitations this season, but Miguel Andujar shouldn’t be overlooked. He isn’t even the most popular rookie in Aaron Boone’s lineup but he’s still playing well enough to merit All-Star consideration.
The Dominican didn’t win the third base job out of Spring Training, but he’s taken advantage of Brandon Drury’s early season injury. He’s played so well that Drury hasn’t even made his way back to the big leagues. Unless Andujar suffers a real dip in performance, he could be manning the hot corner for the Yankees for years to come.
He’s hit the ball exceptionally well in his 50 games with the big club this season. He’s hitting an excellent .306 at the plate and has added seven home runs as well. Perhaps the most promising aspect of Andujar’s game at the moment is his ability to hit for extra bases. His 21 doubles rank third in all of baseball at the moment.
The one negative to his offensive game is his relatively low .OBP. Critics of Andujar will claim his mark of just .337 should rule him out of All-Star game consideration. Perhaps that argument would hold water if he were just a singles hitter.
The fact that Andujar is pounding the baseball should help cover up his on base percentage sins. It’s also worth noting he’s improving in that area. He drew two walks in last night’s win over Toronto. He’s never going to be an extremely patient hitter, but that’s something the Yankees will happily overlook as long as he keeps hitting the ball with such authority.
Of course, part of the challenge of making an All-Star team is beating out the other competitors at your position. There are a couple of third basemen having seasons that make them worthy of consideration, but no one is running away from Andujar.
At the moment, it’s fair to give Indians third baseman. He’s hitting a solid .298 on the campaign but his 19 home runs are really what give him the edge. Ramirez is a big reason the Tribe find themselves with a 4.5 game lead in the AL central at the moment.
Outside of that, no one has a strong case for beating Andujar out. Mike Moustakas has 12 home runs on the season, but his .272 average is significantly lower than Andujar’s. The fact that he’s playing for a Kansas City team that’s 20 games under .500 should come into play here as well. Andujar deserves extra credit for playing well for a contender.
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Ultimately, it won’t surprise anyone if Miguel Andujar just misses making the All-Star game this season. After all, he didn’t enter the season with a lot of expectations. If the roster is selected on merit he’ll make the team though. That’s just how important he’s been for the Yankees this season.