Yankees 2018 - The Youngsters

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Matt Linder

As I mentioned at the end of my last article, the Yankees have a number of promising young players knocking on the door to the major leagues.  Therefore, even after the Yankees make their off-season moves and address their roster openings, they will still have some questions to answer, specifically with top infield prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar.

Torres, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery to his non-throwing elbow, is currently rated as the top prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com.  Although he is a tremendous talent, Torres has less than one hundred at bats in AAA and as a result, needs to start the season in Scranton to make up for the plate appearances he lost after his injury.  He has the ability to play third base, shortstop and second base, and his bat will play at any of the three positions.  However, the spot he may be most valuable at is second base.  I know Starlin Castro is a four-time all star and only 27 years old, but he is a free swinger, while also being a poor defender and base runner.  As an analytically inclined organization, the Yankees value all three of those attributes that Castro does not provide.  Over the past few seasons, the Yankees have made a concerted effort to get younger, cheaper and more athletic.  A transition to Torres would provide all three.  However, Torres will be ready to contribute in the Bronx well before Castro’s contract is over.  His deal runs through the next two seasons at an average annual value of around $11M.  Will the Yankees be able to trade Castro either mid-season or in the off-season to clear a spot for Torres?  That is yet to be determined, but I can certainly see it happening and I would be in favor of such a move.

nydailynews.com

The organization runs into a similar situation with Miguel Andujar and the third base position.  Andujar is ranked as the 91st best prospect by MLB.com.  Throughout his career, he has been known for starting the year slowly, but picking it up by season’s end.  Fortunately, in 2017, Andujar finally put together a full season of high level performance across both AA and AAA.  He stills needs to iron out some kinks defensively, especially with his footwork, but by mid-season he may very well be ready for the majors.  Chase Headley, who I assume the Yankees will move back to third base in 2018, still has one more year left on his contract.  Andujar is clearly the long term answer at the hot corner for the team, but for next season he seems blocked.

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These cases of “too many quality players for not enough spots” have a tendency to work themselves out.  Whether due to injury or poor performance, all of the players usually get an opportunity on the big stage.  Keep in mind Starlin Castro had two separate stints on the DL this past season and Greg Bird has not shown the ability to stay healthy for an entire year.  It is certainly possible that because of extended DL time for both Castro and Bird, Torres plays a large portion of the season at second base, Headley plays first base and Andujar plays third base.  Obviously, you never want to see players get hurt, but the Yankees are uniquely prepared to withstand injuries, in both the outfield and the infield, thanks to their excellent depth in the upper levels of the minor leagues.

If you have any questions, comments or criticisms feel free to reach out to me at mattlinder2@gmail.com