Miguel andujar

Miguel Andujar best serves the New York Yankees as a trade piece

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Now before the Andujar fans start to attack me, let me be clear, I like Miguel Andujar. I would love for the New York Yankees to figure out a way to get his bat into the lineup every single day. He’s a tremendous hitter with such a natural feel when he’s at the plate.

Disregarding his defense, Miguel Andujar is a great baseball player. The problem is that he doesn’t fit in anywhere with the Yankees. It’s not his talent level, and it’s not his inability to be flexible for the team as you saw this year from him trying to play the outfield.

Andujar has done whatever he could to get back on the field with the Yankees. However, there is just no room for him anywhere. Gio Urshela has turned into a star for the Yankees. He’s just as productive at the plate as Andujar, but he combines that with gold glove caliber defense at third.

Andujar tried out left field this year, but Clint Frazier has claimed that spot moving forward. Frazier’s drastic improvement defensively to go along with his great bat have locked up a corner outfield spot for him. We also all know that Giancarlo Stanton has the DH spot locked up for years to come.

What the Yankees should do?

Believe me, it pains me to say it, but the Yankees should really look to move Andujar in the offseason. About a month ago, I wrote asking fans the question on if the Yankees should deal Andujar. The results were pretty split in the comments mainly because of the love for Miggy.

I get it. Andujar became a fan favorite back in 2018 when he came up and shined for the Yankees. That year, Andujar should have won the rookie of the year award in my opinion. However, that honor was given to Shohei Ohtani.

The Yankees are going to be busy this offseason. Priority number one should be locking up DJ LeMahieu. DJ has been the anchor for the Yankees the last couple of years and he’s going to finish in the top four of the MVP voting for the second consecutive year.

Once the Yankees lock up LeMahieu, the infield and the outfield will be set for the future. All of those spots are locked up without Andujar. The focus should then turn to pitching. The Yankees have Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, and James Paxton all hitting free agency.

The Yankees bullpen has also been shaky at times during this season. If I’m Brian Cashman I’m calling up teams ready to deal Andujar for pitching upgrades. Andujar re-established his value with the way he swung the bat towards the end of this season.

Sure, his value still isn’t as high as it was after 2018, but I don’t think it ever will be. No matter how much it hurts to say it from a fans perspective, the right move would be for the Yankees to trade Miguel Andujar and either bolster their starting rotation or get another solid piece for the back of the bullpen.

New York Yankees: Miguel Andujar’s agent hints at service time manipulation by the team

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Service time manipulation is nothing new, although it is still criticized by many circles in the baseball industry. Teams often keep their players off the major league roster for a determinate period of time in hopes of securing an extra year of team control down the road. According to an agent, the New York Yankees are performing the practice with a young slugger.

Miguel Andujar’s agent Ulises Cabrera hinted that the New York Yankees may be handling his client with this particular objective in mind, according to a report from The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler.

“For him not to be playing Major League Baseball games at this stage of the year, especially after he’s just demonstrated that he’s still physically capable of giving higher-than-average production, it’s extremely frustrating to not be suiting up every night in New York,” Cabrera told Adler.

The primary issue with Andujar is that he offers the Yankees absolutely no defensive value whatsoever: not at his natural third base nor in left field, where he has been tried this season in an effort to increase his versatility.

His overall batting line (.242/.277/.355) may not be very impressive, but he was turning his season around in the last few games. Another problem is that the Yankees have many DH-types like Andujar, but with a better and more complete offensive profile, most notably Giancarlo Stanton.

“Although his dream from the very beginning was to do so in pinstripes, that doesn’t take priority over just playing baseball. Miguel Andujar should be playing for a Major League Baseball team, and a Major League Baseball game, tonight.”

Up and down through the Yankees’ ladder

He has been up and down between the Yankees big league roster and the alternate training site for much of the season. General manager Brian Cashman said that Andujar is currently down because the club needed bodies in the middle infield, where he can’t play.

But Cabrera seems to think that the Yankees are keeping him down with the intention of controling him for a longer period of time.

“If I were the general manager for the New York Yankees, I would certainly want to do what’s best for the New York Yankees and control the assets as long as I possibly could,” Cabrera explained. “They said at the time that that wasn’t the reason why he was being sent down. So, I guess we have to take their word for it. Right?”

According to Cashman, Andujar could still be eligible for Super Two status and enter arbitration after this season.

New York Yankees: Gio Urshela picks up right where he left off

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New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

After a brief 11 day stint on the IL, Gio Urshela made his return to the New York Yankees on Tuesday. By the looks of things, you’d hardly be able to tell he was on the IL by the way he played.

Urshela bat 3-for-4 with two doubles in a 20-6 Yankees slaughter over the Toronto Blue Jays. The extra-base hits boosted his OPS above .900 for the first time since early August, and helped lead the Yankees to their sixth straight win.

Dating back to before the IL stint, Urshela has gotten hits in 10 of his last 19 at-bats. He sits with six home runs, 23 RBIs, and a 1.5 WAR on the season.

When Urshela was out, the Yankees saw Miguel Andujar take third-base, and he finally seemed to get things going. Andujar hit .355 in nine games in place of Urshela, but was optioned to the alternate site to make room for the starting third-baseman.

In addition to Urshela returning, Giancarlo Stanton made his first appearance in over a month after a hamstring strain sidelined him. Stanton went hitless in four at-bats.

To make room for Stanton, the team optioned Mike Ford. Ford has struggled in 2020, going just 10-of-74 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He had a -0.6 WAR and a sub-.500 OPS.

Things are finally starting to come back together for the New York Yankees. They are winning games again, and some important players are returning from injury. Aaron Judge will be the next to return, expected to be activated with a few days.

With a week and a half left in the regular season, the team trails four games in the division race but they seem to slowly be securing their playoff spot.

Should the New York Yankees attempt to trade Miguel Andujar?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

I feel like this has been a topic of conversation in the circles of New York Yankees fans over the past couple of years. What will the bombers do with Miguel Andujar? After missing pretty much all of 2019, Andujar found himself without a spot with the Yankees.

The 2018 ROY runner up lost the third base job to Gio Urshela who came out of no where to solidify himself as the starting third baseman. Urshela proving that last year wasn’t a fluke proves he will be the Yankees third baseman for the foreseeable future.

Before the year started, the Yankees had Miguel Andujar start learning the outfield. There’s no questioning his hitting so there Yankees were trying everything they could to get Andujar into the lineup. The transition wasn’t exactly smooth, but it was his first year so it could get better.

People, including myself, believed he could become the Yankees left fielder if he played the position well. However, Clint Frazier has shown this year that he will likely be getting Brett Gardner’s spot ongoing. Boone just said left field is Frazier’s spot even when Judge returns this year.

So where does that leave Miguel Andujar? He’s such a talented hitter, but he’s behind the eight ball at every position that he can play with the Yankees. What should the bombers do moving forward?

The Yankees Options

One option that the Yankees have is just to keep Andujar. The bombers have failed to prove that they can stay healthy for significant portions of time. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gio Urshela have all spent time on the IL this year.

If the Yankees were to keep Andujar, they would always have someone extremely capable ready to step in. However, would that best serve either party? Andujar wouldn’t be getting regular at bats, and he would simply be injury insurance.

Andujar has shown this year that he’s capable of returning to his 2018 form. After early struggles this year, Andujar was hitting .355/.394/.581 in September. Proving once again that he is a serious weapon with the bat in his hands. Proving his worth there, should the Yankees try to trade him?

I love Miguel Andujar, but what benefit does he give the Yankees without getting regular at bats? He’s not going to take a starting spot away from any of the parties in front of him. He’s reestablished his trade value a bit this year proving that he can still be a dangerous hitter.

I’m not saying that the Yankees should give him up for peanuts, but if they can reinforce their pitching staff or bullpen, I think it’s something you look at. I guarantee there will be calls regarding Andujar this offseason. Will Brian Cashman be offered something that will make dealing him worth it? We will see.

New York Yankees: Miguel Andujar seems to be rounding into form

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Yes, his overall numbers still look bad. And yes, his exit velocity numbers are a bit lacking, at least when compared to his elite 2018 season. But Miguel Andujar, despite those two situations, is on the verge of breaking out of his season-long funk. And the New York Yankees are eager to see him succeed at the plate despite the fact that they are about to get Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton back.

Miguel Andujar, who starred for the Yankees in 2018 with a .297/.328/.527, 27 home runs and 76 total extra base hits, has struggled since suffering a torn labrum in 2019 and getting surgery. The 2020 season has been the first one after the surgical intervention, and his average exit velocity (85.9 mph, compared to 89.2 mph in 2018) could suggest that he is still gaining his strength back.

He started the season struggling at the plate, which coupled to his abysmal fielding in third base and left field, didn’t give the New York Yankees a reason to play him. But due to the litany of injuries on the roster, he has been given another shot to star, and it seems he is taking advantage of it.

The Yankees are finally seeing some production

His .242 /.277/.355 overall line is rather disappointing, but let’s dig deeper. From the start of the season until August 28, Andujar slashed .129/.156/.129 with only four hits, no home runs, a 3.1 BB% and a 18.8 K%. His average exit velocity was 86.6 mph.

Since the calendar flipped to September, the prized Yankees’ young player has hit .355/.394/.581 with eleven hits (two doubles, one triple and a homer), 6.1 BB% and 9.1 K%. And while his average exit velocity is still low in that timeframe (85.2 mph), Statcast metrics have been as a little unlucky this year (.270 wOBA, .295 xwOBA.) Those are still bad, but he seems to be trending in the right direction.

Let’s see what the Yankees do with Andujar’s playing time once they get their two sluggers back, especially Stanton, since he will likely play a lot of DH. But right now, the team is actually getting some production from the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner-up.

New York Yankees: Is Miguel Andujar finally on the right track?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

After third-baseman Miguel Andujar missed the majority of the 2019 season due to an injury, he got off to a rocky 2020 start. He’s bounced between the alternate training site and the major leagues for the New York Yankees in this odd season, but may have finally found something of late.

Since being recalled, he’s 6-for-12 with a triple and a home run, also drawing a pair of walks. This is just in the last five games. The 12 games prior saw him pick up just four combined hits.

This is just what the Yankees need from Andujar. After his struggles and doubt about his future on the team, he seems to finally be onto something. With Gio Urshela on the IL and Brett Gardner struggling in left, Andujar is seeing his name crack the lineup almost everyday. So for at least the next week, Andujar should continue to see consistent at-bats.

And maybe, consistent playing time was part of the issue to begin with. Urshela proved he could be the third-baseman of the future when Andujar was on the IL last season, and got the most starts this year. So, Andujar wasn’t playing everyday because of that. Could that have been part of the issue?

However, the fielding is still a major problem. In just 68 innings played in the field, he already has -5 defensive runs saved and four errors. Ideally, the team would like to DH him while continuing to develop his defense, but that’s not currently an option with injuries.

Right now, the Yankees should be happy with Miguel Andujar’s recent success. He could be playing for a spot on the team next year, and he’s currently trending the right direction. Maybe, just maybe, Andujar can help the Yankees turn things around and make a late-season push.

The New York Yankees are in a weird position with Miguel Andujar

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

After missing most of the 2019 season due to injury, the New York Yankees had high aspirations for Miguel Andujar in 2020. Unfortunately for them, Andujar’s struggled and have placed the team in a weird place with him.

When Andujar went down in 2019 after an impressive 2018 season, Gio Urshela took his spot and couldn’t have been better. Urshela bat .314 with an OPS near .900, driving in 74 batters and hitting 21 bombs. Although he hasn’t been quite as dominant in 2020 as 2019, he’s been solid with a .250 average, an .833 OPS and 22 runs batted in already.

Andujar on the other hand, is just 4-for-31 and has yet to collect an extra-base hit. He’s not on the major league team and is training at the alternate site in Scranton. Urshela has proven to be the third-baseman of the future, and the team has other guys like Tyler Wade, Thairo Estrada, and even DJ LeMahieu who can play third.

So, what do the Yankees do with Andujar? The trade deadline has come and gone, and they will have to wait for the offseason if they want to make a move. Do they trade him? Do they keep him and try to develop his outfield skills more? His defense has continued to struggle at both third and the outfield while Urshela has defended well.

The Yankees could be looking to make a few moves this winter, such as finding a potential replacement for the injured Tommy Kahnle, or for more prospects. Could Andujar possibly be dealt? We’ve seen a reluctance from Brian Cashman to trade young talent in the past, but will he finally pull the plug this winter?

Only time will tell, but the Yankees need Miguel Andujar to perform better if given another opportunity in 2020.

New York Yankees: What’s next for the struggling Miguel Andujar?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

New York Yankees‘ infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar is still struggling at the plate and on the field, which prompted the team to option him again to the team’s alternate training site. While it’s true that he has been virtually forced to learn another position on the go (left field) and has always worked diligently to improve, he just hasn’t been able to project confidence out there in the outfield.

To make matters worse, the Yankees’ prized young player hasn’t been able to get going at the plate. The offense is his best attribute as a ballplayer, and when that facet of the game has been poor in the short season, the club’s hand is forced.

The New York Yankees, just like every other team, has to make quick decisions and patience is not plentiful with a 60-game calendar. Andujar, the 2018 Rookie of the Year runner-up, has been a prime example of this.

The Yankees miss his offensive output

On the season, Andujar has played eight games and has accumulated a pitiful .095/.136/.095 with no extra-base hits. It’s true that he hasn’t gotten the necessary reps to establish some kind of rhythm at the plate, but he hasn’t earned them.

On Wednesday evening against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees’ infielder went down on a three-pitch strikeout in a clutch situation. He hasn’t looked particularly good in left field either. He needs to work on his game.

The situation has resulted in less playing time for Andujar, and in a decrease of his trade value. It’s unclear whether teams would make a line to pay for a defensively-challenged infielder/outfielder that isn’t producing at the plate. The Yankees, under these circumstances, would be selling low on a talented asset.

It remains to be seen which path the team opts to take. But Miguel Andujar hasn’t been able to secure more playing time with his performance. It’s not for a lack of work and dedication, I can tell you that. But it just hasn’t happened yet.

New York Yankees: 2 players who could be used as trade bait at Aug. 31 trade deadline

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees are only 15 games into the 2020 regular season, but in a revised and shortened year, the trade deadline will occur on August 31.

What does this mean? Teams won’t likely be as active as in previous years, given the small sample size from their players and the vast desire for pitching.

Ultimately, paying the premium value for players who started a short season on fire could be a reason for price gouging. Selling high on a small sample size is not how the Yankees want to move forward with their salary, especially after signing Gerrit Cole to a nine-year, $324 million deal last off-season.

Ultimately, most teams are in need of pitching, specifically for the Yankees, starting pitching. Manager Aaron Boone elected to pass over J.A. Happ for a start this week, given his awful performance this year, so far. Over two starts, he currently holds a 10.29 ERA with three strikeouts and eight runs allowed. With his contract expiring after the 2020 season, it is almost guaranteed that the Yankees will move on from him.

That leaves the door open for James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka to potentially receive extensions.

However, staying silent is the best method of negotiating. Giving other teams leverage in your trade plans can increase prices for some players and draw others to a quiet market.

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Here are two players the New York Yankees could potentially part with at the deadline:

1.) Miguel Andujar

Andujar has struggled this season so far, posting a .071 batting average with just one hit over 14 at-bats. His transition to left field has been a bit bumpy, as expected, but he is still getting used to the position. Given he is coming off a torn labrum and having just a handful of at-bats doesn’t justify his performance, the Yankees could utilize him to add to the starting pitching rotation. It is also possible they look for a relief pitcher, as they lost Tommy Kahnle for the entire season to Tommy John surgery.

With Miggy struggling at the plate, they would be selling him on a low, which isn’t the likely course of action given the potential we all know he holds. With his inability to play third base on a consistent basis, and his lengthy transition to the outfield, selling him for a proven commodity might be a good move at this point. The Yankees sent him down to the alternative training site in favor of Clint Frazier, who also holds value in this scenario.

2.) Clint Frazier

Frazier hasn’t earned a single rep this season, but the Yankees pulled him up over the weekend to give him an opportunity in left field. Frazier is a serious offensive threat, with one of the fastest bats in baseball. His defense is the problem, as he logged a .963 fielding percentage and three errors in 2019. However, at the plate, he earned a .267 BA with 12 homers and 38 RBIs.

Ultimately, Frazier has shown development in immaturity this off-season. His desire to put his head down and work was obvious, but despite his efforts, Boone elected to place him on the taxi squad.

Boone mentioned that he would be a starter on any other team, but the Yankees simply had too many players in front of him.

“Difficult. Clint is ready to be an impact player in this league, there is no doubt in my mind.” Just unfortunately for him he is blocked by a lot of good outfielders. Unfortunately with options and our situation right now Clint was the odd man out, but that doesn’t make it any easier because he has done everything, from a work standpoint, from a focus standpoint. It is hard when you are sending down a big-league player who you know is ready to produce.’’

He will finally earn his chance to become a regular player in a condensed season. The Yankees have been rotating the left-field position with Brett Gardner, Mike Tauchman, and Andujar up to this point. But Frazier has a perfect opportunity to prove his worth and steal Andujar’s limited reps. Nonetheless, his value might even be greater than Andujar’s, which could give the Yankees some leverage in a trade scenario.

Giving him some deserved at-bats the next few weeks could be a ploy to increase his stock.

New York Yankees: For Andujar and Frazier the Yankees have too many talented players – updated

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees started off the season ablaze, going 8-1, but more recently have had some bad luck and some pitching problems that have caused them to go 4-6. Nevertheless, the Yankees have a bevy of talented players, particularly in the lineup and on the bench. What’s good for the Yankees, unfortunately, hasn’t been kind to the likes of Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier.

If Andujar and Frazier were playing for another team the would be playing every day in the lineup, possibly high up there in the lineup. But for the Yankees they constantly have to make decisions on how they place all those talented players, sometimes depending on who is hot, players get shuffled around or even sent down to the alternate site, Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

Clint Frazier was sent down earlier, but when New York Yankee manager Aaron Boone had to shrink down the roster to meet the 28 man rule, Andujar, Nick Nelson, and Thairo Estrada were sent down to Scranton.  The extra send down was because the Yankees needed an extra arm, the called up Nick Tropeano to bolster the bullpen.

Nick Nelson was sent do to work on his pitching after giving up six runs in relief in a game last week.  Estrada was sent down due to just having nowhere to put him.  The mightily talented Miguel Andujar is a bit of a different situation.  While the Yankees were making every effort to get Andujar playing time, he just wasn’t hitting.  When sent down his batting average was a miserable .071. In a regular season, the Yankees might be able to wait out a slump like that, but in a short season, the Yankees need their best hitters in the lineup.

Getting back to the Yankees talented players, most all the Yankee lineup has been doing a great job, particularly Aaron Judge with eight home runs and Giancarlo Stanton that had a batting average hovering at .300.  But most remarkable is the performance of Gio Urshela, Mike Tauchman, and Mike Ford.  Gio is constantly hitting and making big plays on 3rd base.  Ford can hit homers and Tauchman is the standout in this young season.

All of these players, playing so well is unfortunate for Andujar and Frazier.  Last year with all the injuries, players were being constantly shuttled back and forth from the minors in that next man up need.  This year without all the injuries that’s not happening.

With the hamstring injury to Giancarlo Stanton, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for Frazier. But wait, when Frazier had a chance to come up, the Yankees chose to recall Thairo Estrada instead. This was a very strange move for the Yankees.  Frazier who undoubtedly is not the best in the field, his bat cannot be denied.

This writer can only assume that due to the Yankee’s depth in the outfield they just didn’t need Frazier.  CF Brett Gardner with Aaron Hicks healthy has been a regular in left field.  The Yankees being a home run team, most likely considered that Gardner is hitting a home run in every six or seven games and Tauchman has been getting on base consistently.  Frazier must be frustrated and beside himself with his constant bad luck.

For Andujar, a three-year major leaguer, to be sent down must have come as a shock.  Manager Boone said he had a very difficult conversation with the young player. Possibly Andujar can work out his lack of hitting in Scranton.  He will most likely get recalled at some point, based on injuries to regular players.

On a side note, the New York Yankees will not be shrinking the roster down to just 26 at the end of this week, as MLB has said they will maintain the 28 man roster for the rest of the season.

UPDATE:

Apparently the Yankees have decided bringing Estrada up instead of Frazier was not the correct move.  Today they have sent Estrada back down to Scranton.  According to the New York Post, they have information that the Yankees will call up Clint Frazier before Tuesday’s start of a two-game series with the Atlanta Braves.