Miguel Andújar

The New York Yankees Should Not Go After Nolan Arenado

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New York Yankees, Nolan Arenado

New York Yankees fans are greedy. Their team goes after the big names for the prospect of a championship. It’s something George Steinbrenner popularized back in the ’70s/80’s, and it resulted in a full 15 years between World Series appearances, and closer to 20 years between championships. It just doesn’t work.

But that didn’t stop Yankees fans clamoring for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper last season. The fact remained, the Yankees didn’t need either. Miguel Andujar doesn’t do what Machado does defensively, but you’re not gonna bring in someone like Machado to “get Andujar to improve his defense if he wants a shot.” You bring in someone like Machado to REPLACE Andujar in the lineup, period. And Bryce is only valuable for his power. Hits a ton of home runs, has only driven in 100 RBI’s twice and has an “eh” batting average for an MVP caliber player. Judge doesn’t have an MVP, and HIS career batting average is only .003 points off from Harper’s career average. “Oh, but we need a lefty to balance out the line up!” (Sigh) No, we didn’t then, and we don’t now.

And this is why we can only viably get Nolan Arenado, rumored to be a target of the Yankees for years if we trade Andujar AND Urshela to the Rockies for him.

Not… Worth It

As I’ve documented so many times, Andujar and Urshela (based on their small sample size as starting, everyday players) are the same. Both had amazing offensive numbers (Andujar has better power numbers with less than 100 strikeouts, but Urshela has a better average) with subpar defensive seasons (according to FanGraphs, Andujar was the worst defensive third basemen amongst those who qualified in 2018, Urshela was the second-worst in 2019, representing the likely improvement Andujar realistically could have made). They’re going to duke it out this March for the starting job. 

If you trade for Arenado, you can’t keep both on the team. You have to trade them both.

Urshela’s career dWAR is 0.1 for his career, Andujar’s is -2.5. Arenado has a career dWAR of 14.4! His oWAR of 26.5 also dwarfs both men (4.0 for Andujar, with a career WAR of 1.5, 2.9 and 2.3 oWAR and WAR for Urshela). Oh, and can we talk about how Arenado has a career WAR, going into his age 29 seasons of almost 40? It’s better than Harper’s! (Baseball-reference.com)

“Wait,” some of you are asking “how is trading Urshela and Andujar not worth Arenado?”

The simple, elementary deduction, my dear Watson. Arenado has spent his entire career playing in… Denver, Colorado.

Countless offensive studs have passed through Denver, putting up great power numbers. Then, they leave the Rockies, and they don’t come close to the same season. Arenado has spent his entire career as a Rockie. What makes you think his numbers won’t take a stark nose dive after his first season leaving Denver?

Yes, he is different than DJ. DJ spent most of his career in Denver but was a batting champion. Always a high batting average, with an average of 10(ish) home runs and 50(ish) RBI’s. And we all saw what a career contact hitter in Denver could do, once he got out of Denver.

We also know that New York doesn’t always mean an all-star will succeed there. Sonny Gray was an All-Star in Oakland, was terrible as a Yankee, and became an All-Star again last year pitching in Cincinnati. Robinson Cano, prior to his injuries, was having a real lackluster season in his return to New York, albeit in a different burrow. And while Todd Frazier isn’t a perennial MVP candidate, his worst offensive seasons came… in New York.

Urshela and Andujar have their issues, but we KNOW they can succeed in playing 82 games in the Bronx. You trade for Arenado, those three aren’t fighting to see who gets the job in Spring Training. You trade for Arenado, he’s your starting third baseman, you trade Urshela for Arenado (because he’s out of options), and then you send Andujar to the minors to trade him by the deadline. You got Wade, you got Estrada, and you have DJ to give Arenado his days off in the field (which come few and far between as he averages 150 games played per season).

I’m excited as anyone to see who wins third base. But, please baseball gods, don’t ad Arenado to the mix.

New York Yankees Trade Debate: Andujar & Garcia For Josh Hader

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The hot stove has been cooking this trade rumor up for weeks now. The New York Yankees have been after Josh Hader and have been linked to him since just before the Winter Meetings ended in early December. Since then the Brewers and the Yankees have remained engaged, and the Yankees have appeared aggressive in their pursuit of Josh Hader. Now, we don’t know exactly what they have offered up until this point, but we do know that they’ve tried to put together packages for Hader.  Jon Heyman has suggested that Miguel Andujar could be the centerpiece if the trade was to happen. Yankees GM Brian Cashman has shown reluctance to deal top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia, but from what I’ve understood in the discussions, Garcia is not “Untouchable“. Yankee fans have been sounding off on this potential trade for weeks with passionate people on both sides of the fence. So with that in mind, let’s dive into both sides of the trade debate where the Yankees would be receiving Josh Hader and the Brewers would be receiving a prospect package headlined by Miguel Andujar and Deivi Garcia.

Deal

Josh Hader has been historically good over his first three seasons. Hader has a career ERA of 2.42 and is averaging an astonishing 15.3 strikeouts per nine innings while winning back to back Trevor Hoffman awards (Baseball Reference). Hader had a .806 WHIP last year which is lower than any season current Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has had in his career. Simple point here: Josh Hader is an absolute stud. I have always been in the camp that you should always trade away prospects for sure things and Josh Hader is a sure thing. Hader is arguably the best reliever in baseball and he comes with four years of club control. The Yankees will have more control over Hader than they have over any reliever they currently have on the active roster. Miguel Andujar is great but there really doesn’t seem to be a place for him on this team right now. Gio Urshela came out of nowhere last year and took over the third base position. He matched Andujar’s ability at the plate while showing off MUCH better defensive skills. With the emergence of Urshela, Andujar becomes expendable. Deivi Garcia is currently the Yankees #1 overall prospect. He has shown flashes of brilliance but he does come with a few flaws. His 5’9, 160 LBS frame gives scouts a lot of concerns over his future as a starter. There are scouts that believe he’s overrated as a prospect and think he projects to be a bullpen arm long-term. The Yankees had the opportunity a couple of years ago to acquire Gerrit Cole but turned down the deal when the Pirates asked for Miguel Andujar and Chance Adams. Josh Hader is not Gerrit Cole, but he is the best reliever in the game. The Yankees are set with their rotation moving forward and Miguel Andujar is expendable, you have to make that deal if that’s the request.

No Deal

Josh Hader has been historically good, but his arm has been used a lot over the past couple of seasons. 168 innings to be exact if you include the Postseason. He also comes with a lot of baggage and one has to wonder how he would transition to the pressure cooker that is New York. If the Yankees made the deal for Hader, he wouldn’t have the pressure of being the only big time guy in the bullpen. But, he would have a lot of pressure put on him due to the price that it would take to acquire him. People forget just how good Miguel Andujar was back in 2018. From an offensive perspective, you could very well say he was the best hitter the Yankees had as he broke Joe DiMaggio’s rookie double record. Yes, he was historically bad defensively, but Andujar is young and very athletic. There is no reason to think he can’t improve his defense over time. If he can get to just an average level defensively, you are looking at an all-star third basemen given his hitting ability. Moving on to Deivi Garcia. As mentioned above, there are some concerns with Deivi Garcia and some scouts believe he’s not as good as his ranking. However, you don’t get to be the Yankees top prospect by chance. At just 20 years old, Garcia has quickly risen through the Yankees farm system to AAA. He’s got one of the best curveballs in all the minor leagues with an incredibly high spin rate. He has a explosive fastball that can touch the mid 90’s. With Garcia, you’re not looking at an ace level pitcher, but you are looking at a guy who can be a really solid middle of the rotation kind of arm. If the rotation doesn’t work out, he looks primed to be a dominant relief pitcher. Who knows, maybe Garcia could be just as dominant out of the bullpen as Josh Hader is now. If he transitions to the pen, Garcia could lean on his best two pitches, his fastball and curveball. That two-pitch mix could be lethal out of the pen. Turning down this deal would be banking on potential, but it might be potential that is too good to just trade away even if the piece coming back is as good as Josh Hader.

To me, the Yankees are in a great position in these trade talks. They would love to add a guy like Josh Hader who would just stack the deck for them in 2020. However, they might already have the best bullpen in baseball without Josh Hader so it makes him a luxury item and not a necessity. In my opinion, both Andujar and Garcia are expendable pieces looking at the way the Yankees are setup moving forward. Andujar is currently behind Urshela and I’m not convinced Garcia will go ahead of Domingo German and/or Jordan Montgomery for a rotation spot after the 2020 season. Now, the Yankees would still likely have to add another piece to make this deal, but the pieces would not be as significant as Andujar and Garcia. If it was up to me, I’d pull the trigger on this deal due to the Yankees lack of World Series success over the last decade. Hader would just be another piece to put them over the top. However, that is just my opinion. In all honesty, I really don’t think there is a wrong answer in this debate.

The Futility of Projections for Mets and Yankees Players

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Simeon Woods-Richardson

We are less than 100 days away from Spring Training, so Mets and Yankees fans should be rejoicing everywhere. However, as is with every year, statistical projections are made for player’s offensive and defensive output well in advanced.

Can we just stop to take a look at how futile this is by looking at some Yankees and Mets players?

2019 vs 2020 Projections for Yankees Sluggers

Big things were expected of Miguel Andujar and Giancarlo Stanton in 2019. But, we all have eyes, we saw what happened. Both got hurt early, and both played next to no time during the regular season. For Andujar, it was his surgically repaired labrum in his right shoulder. For Stanton, it was a plethora of injuries. Let’s look at some of the projected offensive numbers for Miguel Andujar in 2019:

610 plate appearances, .283 batting average, 25 home runs, 85 RBI’s.

And now for 2020:

285 plate appearances, .279 batting average, 12 home runs, 40 RBI’s.

Who in their right mind predicted that Andujar was going to suffer from season-ending surgery in the FIRST SERIES of 2019? No one? Thought so. So who’s to say that Gio Urshela won’t suffer a similar injury, paving way for Andujar to fulfill those 2019 projections?

Now let’s look at Stanton’s 2019 projections:

560 plate appearances, .265 batting average, 42 home runs, 105 RBI’s.

Now, Stanton in 2020:

307 plat appearances, .266 batting average, 19 home runs, 48 RBI’s.

What is the absolute point in drawing up projections for the year after an injury? Especially when players haven’t even reported to Spring Training yet?

And Now the Mets

It’s equally convoluted for pitching as it is for hitting. Here are some projections for Syndergaard in 2019:

196 innings pitched 12 – 9 record, 3.50 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 200 strikeouts.

Not too far off the mark for where he ended up. His 2020 projections are:

174 innings pitched, 10-7 record, 4.03 ERA, 1.200 WHIP, 179 strikeouts.

Why the spike in ERA, and drop in innings pitched and strikeouts? What has he shown to indicate that will happen in 2020? Are we predicting he’s going to get hurt when there was 0 prediction Andujar and Stanton would in 2019?

Things were even worse for Steven Matz in 2019:

He was projected to be below or right at .500, he finished above .500. He was projected to have less than 150 strikeouts (average), he had over 150 in 2018 and repeated the feat in 2019. Hell, one projection predicted he wouldn’t even post a record. The rest was pretty spot on for where he finished.

Projections Take the Human Element Out of Baseball

Analytical number crunching of baseball players is fine, but they are more than just numbers and equations. They’re people. Who’s to say that Thor or Matz won’t be better than Jacob deGrom next year? deGrom is going to be 32 next season and has pitched over 600 innings in the last 3 seasons. Why is he projected to give up only 19 HR’s next year? He’s going to not be as effective as he was the last 2 seasons because… HE’S A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND THERE WILL BE MORE SCOUTING DONE ON HIM!

After never hitting above .235 in a single season, Urshela is projected to hit .283 next year. What if Andujar wins his job back in Spring Training and is the opening day starter? And what if Urshela tears the labrum in his throwing shoulder, mimicking what happened to Andujar in 2019?

For the love of Pete, we all love playing MLB’s The Show, but even Madden gets wrong how good a football team is going to do each season, how well the stars of the league perform that season, and even who wins the Super Bowl. Just let the grown men play the game as the humans they are, not the AI programs we treat them as.

 

 

Why the New York Yankees Should Brace for Andujar’s Comeback

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Gio Urshela put up impressive offensive numbers for the New York Yankees last season, while his defensive numbers suffered. According to FanGraphs, Gio ranked 16 out of 17 qualifying third basemen in overall defense last season, with Matt Chapman and Nolan Arrenado taking the top 2 spots. Gio has so much pressure on him, a wide door is open for Miguel Andujar to come back.

What About Andujar’s Defense?

Obviously, as a man who’s played professional baseball since 2015, Gio Urshela’s defensive stats are skewed more in his favor than Andujar’s. And according to the same statistical source, Andujar’s defense in 2018 ranked in dead last, I’m not blind. But if Andujar can eliminate his double-clutch problem, even make 10% more throws eliminating that issue, Andujar’s defense will be better than Urshela.

What About Urshela’s Offense?

Gio Urshela HAS to prove, unquestionably, he HAS to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke offensively. Remember Brandon Drury? In Drury’s injury-shortened 2018, he was a drastic defensive improvement over Miguel Andujar. But guess what? Drury was hitting better than Drury. Urshela, in his career, never hit above .235 before last season. If he doesn’t hit between .270 and .290, and Urshela picks up right where he left off in 2018, Urshela will get benched for Andujar.

What About Andujar’s Injury?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a throwing program can begin at around 4 months post-surgery. This means that Andujar would be able to restart improving his defense in September. Urshela, would not be able to have started working on improving his poor defense from 2019 until after the team got bounced by the Astros in October. But, obviously, it would be until about November until he got to do anything.

Plus, we have no idea quick Andujar recovered from the injury. Remember when Didi came back earlier than expected from Tommy John? Maybe Andujar got cleared for baseball-related activities in August, maybe even July.

What About Urshela’s Recovery Time?

Gio Urshela never played more than 90 games in a season before last year. Gio Urshela was never an everyday player until last season. Gio Urshela never played that deep into October before. If Gio Urshela is STILL recovering from last seasons toll on his body by St. Paddy’s Day… Miggy got his job back.

I’m calling it. Miguel Andujar win’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2020.

Was Miguel Andujar Forgotten by the New York Yankees?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees face a dilemma going into the 2020 season, they have two very capable 3B on their roster. Gio Urshela captured the hearts of many in the Bronx, with a breakout season that made him one of the most beloved Yankees on the roster. With Urshela being only 28, it seems to be that Urshela is going to gear up and get ready to take over the hot corner for years to come. The issue with that? In 2018 Yankee fans said the same thing with now 24-year-old Miguel Andujar. With this pressing issue, what should the Yankees do at the 3B?

Urshela’s a Productive Fella

At the start of the 2019 season, the New York Yankees suffered a plethora of injuries, and one of the major ones was to the young third baseman, Miguel Andujar. Career backup and minor leaguer Gio Urshela was called to fill the role as a stopgap for Andujar to return, but something incredible happened. Urshela caught fire and was hit like a star for the Yankees. Andujar was set to return in the middle of the season, but his return was brief, and he was shut down for the season. Urshela didn’t slow down and finished his season with a 3.1 fWAR, a .314/.355/.534 slash line, 34 doubles, and 21 longballs.  His defense is average, with a -4 DRS at 3B, but it’s not terrible. How does Andujar compare?

AnduHard To Pass Up On

Miguel Andujar had a strong rookie season in 2018, posting an impressive .297/.323/.527 slash line for the Bronx Bombers. He clubbed 27 longballs, 47 doubles, and a 2.8 fWAR in 149 games for the Yankees. He struggles to work walks, posting a 4.1% walk rate, but he only strikes out 16% of the time. His issue comes defensively, as he is pitiful and is why Urshela’s being seen as the first option.

No Glove, No Job?

To say that Andujar is bad defensively is an understatement, Andujar is borderline inept with the glove at 3B. In 2018, Andujar finished dead last in DRS at 3B, with a whopping -25 DRS. Andujar in 2018 allowed 21 more runs than Urshela in 2019, and the defense makes it very hard to put him back in the hot corner when you have an option that can hit well and field much better. This doesn’t mean that Andujar needs to ride the bench for the Yankees, however.

DH For the Future

Andujar will most likely only get better as a hitter, and with the 70+ extra-base hits that Andujar provides for the New York Yankees, he could be a great DH. Andujar is only awful with the glove and even runs very well with his average feet per second being 27.8 in 2018 and 28.1 in 2019. Those totals were good for the 70th Percentile in 2018 and 77th Percentile in 2019 amongst all MLB players! Andujar also doesn’t back down in big-time moments, as he rakes with RISP (Runners In Scoring Position):

Stats With RISP (2018):
127 PA
.294 AVG
.345 OBP
.571 SLG
.916 OPS
8 HR
64 RBI

In a lineup that finished 4th in OBP with a .339 OBP in 2019, there are going to be a lot of runners on the basepaths, and Andujar can be the guy to drive them all in. Don’t be surprised if Andujar strikes fear into the hearts of pitchers facing him with runners on in 2020, and expect extra-base hits galore. Andujar could add another layer to a stacked lineup, and do big things for the Yankees for years to come.

What would you do with Andujar? Is he part of the future in New York for you?

Analyzing the Yankees Best, Worst, and Meh Trade Options

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New York Yankees, Yankees, Brian Cashman

Rather than ad more payroll to the team, Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees are exploring bolstering the team via trade. If you want to get the big-name player, it’s gonna need to be a top-flight talent you’re trading. So let’s look at the Yankees best, worst, and meh trade options in threes (because everything good comes in threes).

The Best Trade Options

These are the three players with the highest possible trade value the Yankees can offer.

Gio Urshela

Many are reporting (and begging) that the Yankees trade Miguel Andujar to make room for Gio. Except Gio has a helluva lot more going for him now than Miggy does. Urshela is coming off of a banner 2019, posting career bests in all offensive categories. The fact that he also struck out less than 100 times in a league where you’re either striking out or hitting home runs will only add to his value. Many teams are probably willing to look past the fact that Gio’s defense took a major slide last season if only he continues to swing a hot bat.

Tyler Wade

Utility men are in vogue right now in baseball. Tyler Wade is the Yankees’ answer to Ben Zobrist. Wade has logged time at 2nd, 3rd, shortstop, and all three outfield positions, making him valuable to just about any organization. With his biggest bugaboo being hitting, Wade turned it on last September, finishing 2019 with a .245 batting average, .692 OPS, 7 stolen bases (no caught stealing), as well as 2 home runs. Continuously bouncing between AAA and the Bronx, Wade might finally be able to blossom on a different team, while giving the Yankees the parting gift of a needed piece to the 2020 World Series championship.

Devi Garcia

I believe that the Yankees should have Garcia be in the pen as a long reliever/spot starter/opener. But he is our biggest touted prospect. While he’s a below .500 pitcher in the minors, he has an ERA of 3.37, with over 400 strikeouts across 293.2 innings pitched in the minors (these are his career minor league stats). He’s also only 20 years old. Teams are salivating for young, strikeout pitchers. Garcia could be the lynchpin in a blockbuster deal that deals with the Yankees’ next dynasty.

The Worst Trade Options for the Yankees

These are the Yankees with possibly the lowest trade value for the team.

Miguel Andujar

I’ve written about how the Yankees would benefit from having Andujar and Urshela in the big club. And it’s largely since Andujar has to prove he’s back to form. Remember the last time a Yankee made a big splash in his first year with the club, the missed the season due to surgically repairing a torn labrum in his shoulder? I do. And his name was Greg Bird. Andujar has to show that he doesn’t repeat what Bird went through, that he can still hit big-league pitching, and if he can show his defense improved, then his trade value will be where it was at after finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in the ROY voting. If you trade him, it’s gotta be by the trade deadline in July.

Clint Frazier

Clint Frazier’s time in New York has been mired by both injury and mediocrity. The kid is a 25-year-old DH, limiting who you can trade him too. His defense is so shaky in the outfield, he’s making Andujar’s defense during 2018 Gold Glove-caliber. Think about it, Frazier’s career WAR is -0.4, career oWAR is 0.9, and career dWAR is -1.7. His career TZ is -18, and he’s about a full point behind league average for range as an outfielder. This kid needs a lot of fine-tuning in the minors. So much so, I doubt he’ll ever be a full-time MLB player.

Luis Severino/Gleyber Torres

Short of trading for some of the other top prospects/vets we have, these two would be the absolute worst we could trade. Why? Well… they’re just too good to give up! But to land someone like a Fransisco Lindor, we have to trade someone of the caliber of Severino or Torres.

Our Best Meh Options

Meh is based on the ideology of “They may land us someone good, but they’ll equally get us no one of value that we need.” The players aren’t too spectacular, or they have enough baggage that we’ll not be able to get someone off too special.

JA Happ

Happ had a lackluster year to say the very least. But, he’s a middle of the road pitcher who had, at best, a small handful of All-Star caliber years in-between. So There’s some value in having someone who had the success Happ had in his past, on top of his veteran status, it’s a 50/50 split on who, or what we’d be able to get for Happ’s $17 million contracts.

Any number of our top prospect pitchers

Devi Garcia is one of our best pitching options BECAUSE he’s a young, controllable, strike-throwing pitcher. But So was Justice Sheffield. And Justice Sheffield is, by this point in his young career, is an absolute dud in Seattle. Every single minor league prospect has the chance of being a future Hall of Famer, but most end up being a middling ballplayer. While Clint Frazier’s offensive capabilities can be viewed as above average, his completely lackluster defense makes him middling as an overall ballplayer.

DJ LeMahieu

DJ is a fantastic player, but he’s above the age of 30. All statistical analysis is saying “You can’t have a middle infielder playing who’s older than 30 because he can’t get to the ball as quickly.”

DJ happens to be 31 and will turn 32 during the season. While he’s a spectacular ballplayer, it’s a matter of time before he’s going to slow down even more like a ballplayer defensively. And it’s a matter of time before his bat loses its speed, making him such a great hitter.

If we get a shortstop that ISN’T Gleyber Torres, and Gio Urshela and Miguel Andujar are healthy, AND Luke Voit and Mike Ford are healthy, what room do we truly have for DJ LeMaihieu on the club?

A Ten Part Breakdown of the New York Yankees Depth. Part 7: DH

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New York Yankees, Larry Rothschild

The New York Yankees are STACKED at the DH position. Pretty much everyone on the team can be the starting DH for the entirety of the 2020 season. So let’s see who makes the most sense:

Giancarlo Stanton AKA The OBVIOUS Choice

People underestimate the fact that Stanton is a competent outfielder. Is he Mike Trout defensively? No. But he’s just above league average as an outfielder, and we know what he’s capable of as a hitter. As a left fielder, he’s weaker looking at the defensive metrics. But he’s still a better defender in left field than Miguel Andujar is (currently) at third.

Stanton’s biggest bugaboo is his health and his strikeouts. When you look at Stanton’s career, he has exceptional seasons after a bad, injury prone season. So while it makes sense for him to be the DH, I force him being the left fielder more regularly.

Miguel Andujar AKA The SMART Choice

You can’t call Andujar a bad hitter. Andujar’s oWAR is 4.6 compared to the 2.2 WAR he posted in 2018. 97 strikeouts, 170 hits, 47 doubles, 92 RBI’s, 25 walks, and he hit into only 9 double plays. Someone who can sub in the field, will undoubtedly learn a new position to help create greater fielding depth for the team as a whole. Plus, he’d help balance out just how much our core of the lineup will ultimately strike out over the course of next season.

The Machine

DJ LeMahieu would be a fabulous DH on more occasions than one. The DH is a point of free offense in the lineup. Why wouldn’t you want a dude with a career .302 batting average be your everyday DH? He gets hits, and he sprays his hits all over the place. With his average of 30 doubles a season, he’d make an excellent DH.

Our First Basemen

Luke Voit and Mike Ford are possibly more prototypical DH’s. They’re bulky, they drive the ball, and most DH’s are relegated to playing first base when playing interleauge games.

So, there you have it. There are 5 more than capable men on the team who can be our regular DH. And that’s not even all the players we have who could be DH’s.

New York Yankees: The Perfect Plan for Miguel Andujar

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Recent reports have indicated that the New York Yankees could be interested in trading away youth prospect, Miguel Andujar. Just two years ago, the third baseman had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory. Over 573 at-bats, Andujar recorded 27 homers, 47 doubles, 92 RBIs, with a .297 batting average.

However, he missed virtually all of the 2019 season with a torn labrum suffered early on in the year. This unfortunate event gave newcomer, Gio Urshela, and opportunity to steal the starting position right out from under him.

The 28-year-old from Columbian recorded a .314 batting average over 442 at at-bats. His 21 homers and 74 RBIs helped the Yankees reach the postseason after a slew of injuries limited them significantly. Also, his defensive attributes far outmatched Andujar’s, as he posted a .954 fielding percentage and just 13 errors over 123 games. The solidification of the third-base position gave the Yankees a boost of confidence when their outfield was in shambles in the infield was dealing with numerous injuries and recovering players.

As usual, the current off-season will be filled with rumors and theoretical trade proposals. The latest involves Pittsburgh Pirate All-Star Josh Bell and Andujar in a multiplayer trade that would bring the first baseman to the Yankees. I don’t believe this would be in the best interest of general manager Brian Cashman, as Andujar has a ton of potential, and his value has been diminished after the significant injury.

What would be the perfect plan for the New York Yankees and Miguel Andujar?

An ideal situation would include Urshela and Andujar splitting time at third base. Some may question this idea due to Miguel’s defensive deficiencies, but the Yankees must increase his value if they wish to gain anything from him in the future.

The better move would be to wait until he is 100% healthy, allowing him to regain his form and then proceed to shop them at the trade deadline next season if the team needs any reinforcements heading into the playoffs. This would give the Bombers time to evaluate his potential and the need for him going into the future. It would also allow them to analyze Urshela to see if he can be a long-term solution on the hot corner.

New York Yankees: Why Trading Gio Urshela May be the Smarter Play

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New York Yankees, Gio Urshela

Recently, ESM writer Nathan Solomon asked on our site if the Yankees should trade Gio Urshela. Now, you know I’ve made the argument the New York Yankees ought to make room in the lineup for both players. And there seems to be far more interest for Andujar on the market than Urshela. But after reading the article, here’s why Nate’s onto something.

Baseball is What Have You Done For Me Lately

Think about how Andujar got his start in 2018. Brandon Drury was acquired to be our third baseman. But he had health problems forcing him to start the season on the IL. Andujar was called up. By the time Drury got well enough to play, Andujar had taken his job.

Fast forward almost 2 years. Gio has now usurped Andujar as the opening day third baseman with Cashman arguing “It’s Gio’s to lose”. And who could blame him? Urshela put up a great 2019 season, despite my noticing his deficiencies in the field.

Why Gio’s Trade Value is at its Highest Now

Look at Justin Verlander before getting traded to Houston, and after getting traded to Houston. He’s, basically peaks Justin Verlander, a la 2009-2012. It’s no wonder the Astros gave him a 2-year extension at 36 years old.

Urshela has played no more than 81 games in a season since coming up in 2015. He was a defensive whiz kid, but an offensive liability. Now, in his first full season as a pro, his defense can bounce back from double-digit errors he was charged with and has an opportunity to prove his 2019 was no fluke offensively.

What plays to Andujar’s disadvantage on the trade market is he is coming off of having his labrum in his shoulder surgically repaired. Last Yankee to do that, after putting up a good showing in his debut in the majors, was the recently DFAed Greg Bird.

Should They Trade Either Now?

No. It’s basically those two for your depth at third. But, if the right offer comes for one or the other, and the trade drastically improves the deficiencies the New York Yankees have in their rotation, shortstop, or center field… they need to jump at it. Either way, I don’t see both men being on the team come October 2020. One will be traded, I’m certain enough to place an uncomfortable about of money on it.

A Successful 2020 Yankees Lineup Must Include Urshela and Andujar

by
New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Much is being made of the New York Yankees needing help to bolster their starting rotation. And it’s all merited. Our starting rotation, as it stands, going into 2020 is Masahiro Tanka (coming off of one of his worst regular seasons in professional American baseball), James Paxton, Luis Severino (after missing all but a handful of starts in September and a few playoff starts), JA Happ (after an absolutely dreadful season), and Jordan Montgomery (who has pitched a combined 31.1 innings since 2018). This is a rotation that needs help. We can’t ride our bullpen like we’ve been doing the last few years, because they’ll get exhausted by October, and we’ll have another year of missing the World Series. To put it in perspective, Chapman, Green, Ottavino, Britton, and Kahnle threw for 312 innings combined in 2019. Tanaka and Paxton threw for 332.2 innings combined.

Our offense needs to improve as well. We were one of the most feared lineups in baseball in 2019. But we struck out over 1,400 times in the regular season and striking out over 90 times throughout the postseason. Strikeouts are a liability that plague every team, and if we didn’t strike out as much as we did against Houston, it would have been us playing Washington in the World Series.

Our Murderers Row is Our Greatest Strength AND Weakness

Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Luke Voit, these are guys with power that can take you deep in an instant. But good lord are they strikeout prone. Using Stanton’s strikeout totals from 2018 (the dude did miss practically all of 2019 after all) and add it up to the other 4’s strikeout totals from this year, you have 748 strikeouts throughout a given season. Edwin Encarnacion, who struck out 103 times during the regular season, struck out an appalling 13 times in October. The strikeouts have to come down, across the board if we want meaningful games played deep into October.

Why You Have to Include Andujar and Urshela in the 2020 Lineup

Gio Urshela has a lot to prove in 2020, namely that 2019 wasn’t a fluke year offensively. He also needs to show he can bounce back from playing a full season as, up till last year, he was a career backup third baseman/bench player. But he struck out 87 times last year, which was 3 fewer times than our offensive stalwart DJ LeMahieu.

Miguel Andujar has quite a bit riding on him too. It’s not easy coming back from surgically repairing a torn labrum after having a breakout first season performance as he did. The last Yankee in recent memory who did this was Greg Bird (remember his 2015 and how he never was the same again?). But there is far less riding on his shoulders as the main two things he has to prove are 1) That he’s healthy, and 2) That his defense improved since 2018.

I’ve used the comparison metric for these two men of “the first full season they played”, but I’ll expand to their full careers. Andujar has struck out 108 times in his career (97 times in 2018), with a career .318 OBP and a .819 OPS.  Gio Urshela has struck out 177 times in his career, with a career .313 OBP and a .735 (.889 in 2019) OPS. Gleyber Torres has a .338/.849 OBP/OPS, but has struck out over 200 times in his career. Aaron Judge is .394/.952 but has struck out over 500 times in his 4-year career.

This shows that Urshela and Andujar are capable of getting on base, SLUGGING their ways on base (on par with what Gleyber Torres can do) but are far less likely to strikeout in the key at-bat of the game. Torres and Judge are more adept at getting on base and slugging their ways on, but we’ve seen how strikeout happy they are.

The answer is clear. Both guys have to be in the lineup if you want to offset the K machine that is the New York Yankees Murderer’s Row. Otherwise, you’re in for another disappointing finish to a great season.