The Yankees may not be relying on the infield they expected coming into the 2019 season, but the group has played exceptional baseball for Aaron Boone.
Coming into the 2019 season, no one would have been surprised to learn that the Yankees would reside in first place in the AL East at the end of May. However, the way manager Aaron Boone’s team has ascended to those heights has been pretty unconventional.
Injuries have ravaged the Yankees roster which has resulted in a lot of unsung heroes to emerge in the Bronx. The infield has certainly seen its share of upheaval. Troy Tulowitzki and Miguel Andujar were set to be the starters on the left side of the infield coming out of Spring Training. Tulowitzki went on the Injured List early and still hasn’t returned. Andujar has already been ruled out for the season due to a torn labrum.
This piece will go through the Yankees infield and grade each player based on their preseason expectations. As you might expect, the group will see a lot of high grades based on their production. It’s hard to imagine anyone inside Brian Cashman’s front office being too dissatisfied with anyone in this group.
Gary Sanchez
Some Yankees fans still manage to question Sanchez’s worth ethic, but you can’t question his results. It would be nice if his average was higher than .264, but his power numbers are through the roof. 17 home runs in 140 at bats is truly exceptional production.
Defensively, he’s never going to turn into Pudge Rodriguez behind the dish, but he still has an absolute cannon for an arm. That allows him to keep the run game in check for his pitching staff. Sanchez deserves to be the starting catcher for the AL All-Star team and this grade reflects that.
Grade: A
Austin Romine
Romine continues to keep Kyle Higashioka in AA by doing just enough to keep Boone’s trust. It’s unfair to expect him to be anything more than the slightly above-average backup he’s been throughout most of his career.
It’s still worth noting that his .217 batting average and lack of power makes him arguably the weakest batter in Boone’s lineup. His steady defense is likely the only reason he continues to hold on to the backup job.