Miguel Andújar

New York Yankees: Why There is No Need to Worry About Their Slow Start

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees have gotten off to a less than flattering 3-4 start in 2019, highlighted by losing two out of three to two of the league’s worst teams. There is disappointment with the four losses, but there shouldn’t be any worry, yet. There are a lot of contributing factors to their early struggles, so let’s review them.

Injuries

Obviously, injuries are the prominent factor in the Yankees early season struggles.10 main guys are on the IL in Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dellin Betances, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, Troy Tulowitzki, and Giancarlo Stanton.

We know that Stanton will be back in about three weeks, and that Sabathia could possibly make his next start.

Hicks is just beginning baseball activities, Betances is throwing off a mound and should be ready for rehab soon, while Severino is still throwing on flat ground.

We don’t know a whole lot about the rest of the injuries. We’ll know in about 10 days weather the Yankees can start up Andujar again, or if he’ll need season-ending surgery.

Detroit and Baltimore are off to good starts

The Yankees have played two teams that got off to hot starts.

After taking two out of three against the Yankees, the Orioles went north of the border and took two of three from the Blue Jays before losing to the Yankees in their home opener on Thursday.

The Tigers started the season in Canada, splitting a four game series there. They came to New York to take two of three from the Yankees afterwards, then took their home opener against the Royals.

They aren’t alone

The Yankees are not the only World Series favorite to be losing a lot early. At 3-4, the Yankees are better than some other teams record wise.

The Red Sox are off to a terrible 2-7 start with the worst run differential in the MLB at -26. The Houston Astros have started off 2019 at 3-5. Like the Yankees, they have won the first game of each series and that’s it. Remember, the Yankees and the Astros play on Monday.

Off to the worst start in the MLB are the Chicago Cubs. After winning their opener, they have lost six straight to put themselves at 1-6.

This shows to tell that the best teams don’t always get out to hot starts.

This has happened before

Most years, the Yankees aren’t great out of the gate. They started 5-6 last year en route to a 100 win season.

In 2016, they started out 9-17 on the way to an 84 win season.

In 2009, the Yankees started out 3-4 as they would win it all come October.

The Yankees will get healthy and get back to normal. It may take a while, but they always seem to figure it out.

Morale of the story: the Yankees will be ok, and it’s just a matter of time until they win a lot of games and Baltimore and Detroit start to lose a lot of games. Sadly, it’s also just a matter of time until the team from Boston starts to win too.

New York Yankees: Another Player Heads to Injured List, Possibly For Entire Season

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Monday evening before the New York Yankees took on the Detroit Tigers, it was announced that Miguel Andujar will now be on the injured list along with Giancarlo Stanton and many others.

It was announced after Monday’s 3-1 win over the Tigers that Andujar his a small labrum tear in his shoulder and that he will basically be shut down for two weeks. If no improvement come two weeks, season ending surgery may be an option.

Who will the third baseman be?

Our best guess would be that DJ LeMahieu would get the majority of the time at third base, with Tyler Wade getting a few starts. The Yankees called up Wade to counter Andujar on the IL.

So far, LeMahieu has played in three games and has gone 4-for-8 from the plate as well as playing stellar defense, but threw a ball away on Saturday.

Tyler Wade had a strong Spring Training for the Yankees, but hasn’t played any Minor League baseball yet, as Scranton begins play on Thursday (4/4).

We will keep you updated when we know more. This is a developing story.

Yankees can’t recover from Happ’s poor start in another loss to Orioles

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New York Yankees, J.A. Happ

JA Happ gave up a three run homerun to Orioles third baseman Renato Nunez in the first inning, and the Yankees weren’t able to recover as they dropped the rubber match to the Orioles, 7-5.

Happ’s struggles

In his first start of the season, JA Happ did not come out with his best stuff. After more than a three hour rain delay, Happ opened the game by striking out Jonathan Villar. It spiraled downward after that.

Dwight Smith Jr. hit a double to right-center field, then Trey Mancini hit a dumb little chopper down the third base line that Andujar couldn’t get to in time, putting runners on the corners.

Then, Nunez crushed a 2-2 fastball into the bleachers in left field, giving the Orioles a 3-0 lead.

After a 1-2-3 second inning, Trey Mancini launched another fastball, this time into monument park to give Baltimore a 4-0 lead.

Happ worked a 1-2-3 fourth, but the Yankees decided to pull him and put in long reliever Luis Cessa, who gave up one earned run in 3 1/3 innings.

Happ just couldn’t throw the fastball well on Sunday. Both home runs came from it, as well as the double in the first inning by Smith Jr. Happ struck out three while issuing just one walk in his four innings of work, throwing 75 pitches.

Hitting like it’s still 2018

It may be a new season, but the Yankees offensive tendencies are just the same. Too many chased pitches while having a poor average with runners in scoring position. The Yankees were 2-of-12 with runners in scoring position on Sunday, Judge knocking in two on a single in the fourth, and a LeMahieu RBI single in the ninth.

The Yankees were down 7-4 going to the bottom of the ninth after Tommy Kahnle walked the bases loaded, but managed to work out of it.

Bird walked and then Gleyber Torres just inched out an infield single before LeMahieu had his RBI single. Troy Tulowitzki pinch-hit for Brett Gardner, but struck out on a 1-2 slider that he check-swung at.

14 of the Yankees 27 outs were strikeouts, but four of them came from Judge and three came from Sanchez. However, in addition to Judge’s RBI single, Sanchez went yard for the first time in 2019, lining a 1-2 change-up down the left field line in the seventh.

The Yankees will now take on the Detroit Tigers in a three game series to wrap-up a six game homestand. The Tigers split a four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays to open their season. Tyson Ross is expected to start for the Tigers, while the Yankees are expected to have a “bullpen game”. Domingo German is expected to pitch a few innings for the Yankees, but it is unknown if he will be the starter.

Game time is at 6:35PM on YES Network and Fox Sports Go.

Andujar with missed opportunities as Yankees drop first game of season

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

In his first start as a Yankee, southpaw James Paxton pitched well, giving up two runs (one earned) off of four hits with five strikeouts. However, he was credited with a loss as the Yankees couldn’t get much going on offense, dropping the second game against the Orioles by a score of 5 to 3.

Despite having 10 hits, the Yankees only managed to score three runs while going 3-of-9 with runners in scoring position. Their defense sure didn’t help any, having three errors on the game.

The little offense they had:

In the fourth inning, DJ LeMahieu punched one up the middle, barely strong enough to get through, scoring Gleyber Torres.

In the sixth inning, the Orioles put up two runs off a single by Dwight Smith and a throwing error by Gary Sanchez on a double steal attempt. With runners on first and second, Sanchez threw to second on the steal attempt. The throw was in plenty of time, just off target. This would knock Paxton out of the game.

An inning later, Baltimore got one more, this time off of Chad Green. Rio Ruiz doubled, then later scored off a single by Jesus Sucre. Sucre led the Orioles, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

In the ninth inning, Yankee reliever Jonathan Holder made a mess, starting after an error by DJ LeMahieu. With runners on the corners with one out, Sucre knocked one down the left field line, stopping at second and clearing the bases while making the score 5 to 1.

The Yankees sure tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth. Troy Tulowitzki led off with an opposite field home run, then LeMahieu followed with a double. Gardner hit a hard liner to center that was caught for the first out, however Aaron Judge kept it going with a hard single. After a full count strikeout by Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit hit a high fly ball that barely dropped in with the outfield playing back. That scored a run making it 5 to 3, but Miguel Andujar struck out on a 1-2 slider to end the game.

Andujar ruined their two biggest opportunities

Way back in the first inning, Baltimore starting pitcher Nate Karns was in no mood to deal with the big boys. After Gardner was retired to start the inning, Karns walked Judge, Stanton, and Voit to load the bases. After taking a low fastball for a ball, Andujar hit it back to Karns who threw it to Sucre behind the plate, then Trey Mancini at first for a 1-2-3 double-play.

Now in the ninth inning, the Yankees had Judge on third and Voit on first with Andujar up to bat. After swinging at a 95 MPH fastball for strike one, Oriole reliever Mike Wright threw three straight sliders. Andujar laid off the first one but swung at the next two to end the game.

Andujar finished 1-for-5 with two strikeouts on the afternoon.

The Yankees finish the series with the Orioles on Sunday afternoon at 1:05PM in the Bronx. The game will be televised on YES Network and Fox Sports Go.

 

Three run first inning powers New York Yankees to Opening Day Win

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New York Yankees, Yankees, Luke voit

It didn’t take very long for New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit to prove haters wrong.

After back-to-back singles by Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, Voit cranked a low slider on a 3-1 count into Monument Park for the Yankees first three runs of the game and season, and it led them to a 7-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

That home run was Voit’s only official at-bat, he took walks in two other plate appearances and was also hit by a pitch. His hit-by-pitch actually resulted in an RBI, as the bases were loaded. Aaron Judge was the only Yankee with multiple hits, a single to right and an infield single. All Yankee batters besides leadoff hitter Brett Gardner had a hit, but Gardner did have a walk.

Greg Bird went 1-for-4 on the game, with three strikeouts and a home run into the Yankee bullpen. Miguel Andujar had a single to CF in the seventh and an RBI sacrifice fly early on. Andujar, however, did have a throwing error in the fourth inning.

A quality start for Tanaka:

Masahiro Tanaka got his 2019 season off to a good start, giving up six hits, two runs (one earned), and fired five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of work. Only throwing 83 pitches, the Yankees didn’t want to stretch it with him as the team doesn’t play again until Saturday.

Tanaka was throwing his slider and splitter well and for strikes. All five strikeouts were swinging, including him striking out the side in the second inning using mainly offspeed pitches. Most outs came from his slider or splitter, and he only threw a few curveballs all game.

Tanaka faced 22 batters and threw first-pitch strikes to 12 of them.

Ottavino showed out in his first game:

Adam Ottavino had no New York jitters. He came out to relieve Tanaka in the sixth inning with two outs to strike out Rio Ruiz, then came back for the seventh inning getting two more strikeouts and a lineout to Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop, who got a hit in his first game as a Yankee.

Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman came in for the eighth and ninth innings, and each pitched scoreless innings despite both giving up a hit.

The two teams don’t play on Friday but will continue the series on Saturday at 1:05PM on YES Network, ESPN+, or FOX Sports Go. The probable starters for the game are Nate Karns and James Paxton.

 

New York Yankees: Can Miguel Andujar Build Off Of Stellar Rookie Campaign?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

With the New York Yankees making several offseason moves to bolster their roster, some of their current talents are primed for big years in 2019. Miguel Andujar is no exception, coming off a 2018 season that saw him finish second in AL Rookie of the Year voting to Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani. While his defense is the primary concern, he will look to again help lead a dangerous Yankee offense to the postseason.

2018 Stats (New York Yankees):

149 Games, .297/.328/.527/.855, 27 HR, 92 RBI, 25 BB, 97 SO, 83 Runs Scored, 2.2 WAR

Whether or not he won ROY, Andujar had an excellent rookie year. For one, he surpassed Joe DiMaggio for most doubles by a rookie in franchise history (47).  His 27 home runs also helped the Yankees break the single-season home run record and win 100 games. It was only good enough for a wild card spot before the Yankees were defeated in the ALDS by the Red Sox.

While his bat helped carry the team for most of the season, his defense is a continuous concern. He committed 15 errors at third base, tied for fourth worst in baseball in 2018. A positive is that he spent much of the winter working to improve his footwork among other things. One person who worked with the young Andujar was Adrian Beltre, who had similar problems early in his career.

Only time will tell if Andujar’s defense can improve, or if he’s destined for a role as a DH. Also, forget the idea of him having a “sophomore slump” in 2019. Don’t be surprised if his sophomore year is one of massive improvement, both offensively and defensively.

2019 Stat Predictions:

152 Games, .296/.349/.557/.906, 32 HR, 99 RBI, 46 BB, 91 Runs Scored

Awards Predictions:

All-Star, Silver Slugger

New York Yankees: Can Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar avoid the “sophomore slump”?

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New York Yankees, Gleyber Toress, Miguel Andujar

In 2018, New York Yankees youth products Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar burst out into the scene in New York with Tyler Wade struggling and newly acquired Brandon Drury injured.

Once they came, they made immediate impacts including multiple walk-off hits and big home-runs. Both players had WAR’s over 2.0. Many baseball fans always worry about the dreaded “sophomore slump” that many players go through after a successful first season in the big leagues.

With Didi Gregorius out with an injury, the Yankees are relying on Torres and Andujar to pick up the slack on both the offensive and defensive end.

So many extra-base hits for the Yankees:

Combined between Torres and Andujar, the two had a total of 95 extra-base hits last season. Miguel Andujar brought more power between the two, but Torres could put one out or get a double when he needed to.  In 2018, Andujar tied the record for most doubles by a rookie in the American League with 47.

As he continued to go through the season, people began to compare him to Manny Machado who early in his career had a lot of doubles, and as he developed he turned them into home runs.

Machado had 51 doubles in his first full season. His first time up was long enough to count him as a rookie, so if he was a rookie in 2013 when he had all of those doubles, Andujar wouldn’t have a share of the rookie record. The Yankees are hoping that Andujar put enough muscle onto his body this winter to do the same thing Machado did with his hitting.

Fielding was a weakness:

Once the end of last season rolled around, Andujar had the worst third base fielding in the MLB, with his fielding percentage less than 95 percent. His glove wasn’t the issue, most of the mistakes he made were just throwing and judgment errors, including his baseball IQ. Andujar has been working hard during the winter to improve his fielding so he can continue to have a starting spot.

Last year at times, Andujar would be removed late from the game and replaced with Neil Walker or Ronald Torreyes. With both players gone, he doesn’t have much of a backup, DJ LeMahieu being the most likely.

Torres’ fielding percentage was just a hair over 96 percent, with his shortstop fielding percentage under 93 percent. That number is slightly concerning, as he likely could be the opening day shortstop with LeMahieu at second. The hype on Torres was his strong defense, and he did make several great plays last season but booted some of the easier ones.

Poor play on defense sometimes leads a player to have poor hitting, and if their poor defense continues in 2019, they may have some trouble at-bat. They need to keep that same mindset at the plate, and more strength may lead to more home runs. Hopefully, Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres can avoid the “sophomore slump” in 2019 and make an impact on both sides of the ball.

New York Yankees Infield Is Crowded And That’s A Good Thing

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has any number of configurations he can come up with from this roster, limited as it is by the injury to Gregorius. Fans cannot just assume that the positioning will be as it was last season, especially with the shortcomings of Andujar on defense at third base and those of Bird on offense across the diamond.

The infield personnel on the 40-man roster:

Miguel Andujar
Greg Bird
Thairo Estrada
Didi Gregorius
DJ LeMahieu
Gleyber Torres
Troy Tulowitzki
Luke Voit
Tyler Wade

The Yankees have not signed free-agent shortstop and third baseman Manny Machado, which would have gone a long way towards clarifying the infield now that Gregorius is not anchoring it with his veteran presence.

Rather, the Yankees signed Tulowitzki to shore up the infield in Gregorius’ absence. Tulowitzki is a risk at this juncture in his career. He’s been out the majority of two seasons with injuries and is at least four seasons away from his All-Star years with the Colorado Rockies.

What do the Yankees expect of Tulowitzki?

According to General Manager Brian Cashman, the Yankees are committed to Tulowitzki at shortstop.

Now whether there is some level of gamesmanship being played by Cashman in the Machado sweepstakes here is anybody’s guess, but it appears that the Yankees will start the season with Tulowitzki at shortstop.

One of the many configurations of the infield would then have Tulowitzki surrounded by Torres at second base, Voit at first base and Andujar at third base.  Fans can only hope that Andujar’s range has increased and that Tulowitzki’s has not diminished, as the left side of the infield was a defensive minefield last season.

On the other side of Tulowitzki, virtually two players in their second year of big league baseball.  Both Torres and Voit had outstanding years offensively, but defensively, both need work and experience.

In this scenario, DJ LeMahieu would be the utility man, coming off the bench when called on, perhaps even as a defensive replacement.

In another configuration of the infield, Torres would be at shortstop, anchoring the infield, with Andjuar at third base, DJ LeMahieu with his Gold Gloves at second base and Voit at first base.  Again, the left side of the infield is a bit of a question mark with two poor defenders there.

Throughout the course of the offseason, fans have heard suggestions that Andujar, because of his poor defense, should be moved to first base or left field and Both positions have their own unique challenges as we go into the ’19 season.  The outfield currently has five players for three spots and there is a battle brewing for first base between Bird and Voit.  Why would you put Andujar into either of these two mixes?

Voit, however, has Cashman’s endorsement and it’s up to Bird to fight to regain the first base job.

So what configuration will Opening Day feature for the Yankee infield?  With Machado and Harper and other free agents still available are the Yankees done acquiring personnel for the ’19 season?  The Yankee infield will wear many faces in ’19, as the team mixes and matches players to field the best defensive infield possible with whoever is most healthy and productive.

 

 

 

 

Why The New York Yankees Should Hold On To Miguel Andujar At All Costs

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees have drawn interest from several teams in regard to third-baseman Miguel Andujar after a fantastic MLB debut last season.

Andujar’s hitting was phenomenal, earning a batting average of .297 with 27 home runs and an on-base-percentage of .328. His impressive rookie campaign was led by his bat, which is what most teams are after — the Padres, Mets, and Mariners were all discussed as potential trade partners.

Why Miguel Andujar should be kept on the New York Yankees:

The Yankees would be foolish to allow one of the more exciting youth players in the league slip through their finger-tips. While adding quality starting pitching is a priority this offseason, giving up one of the best hitters in the lineup ultimately only leaves a hole on the roster.

The only justification of allowing Andujar to leave would be that he hurts the team on defense. He committed 15 errors last season and could be replaced by star free agent Manny Machado. Personally, I would like the Yankees to stick with the young phenom and give him time to develop. It’s surprising what a little confidence in a player can do to their game.

Another option for the infielder would be to move him to first-base, where he could work on catching and his flexibility rather than throwing and fielding from across the diamond. This seems like an idea that hasn’t been discussed much this offseason.

Miguel Andujar is a stud:

The rookie finished second in the league behind Shohei Ohtani for AL rookie of the year. His season was stellar and unloading the player would be the wrong move all around. Even if the Yanks received a good pitcher for his services, Andujar could be a staple in Pinstipes for the next decade.

New York Yankees’ Miguel Andujar Working On Fixing Biggest Weakness

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

While New York Yankees’ Miguel Andujar had a stellar season at the plate in 2018, earning an impressive .297 batting average with 27 homers and 92 RBIs, his biggest weakness was on defense.

Andujar recorded 15 errors last season at third-base, which played a big part in his benching in Game 4 of the Division Series against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees went on to lose that game and most were baffled by the decision due to the loss of a consistent bat in the lineup. “Benching” might be a harsh word to use, though. I would call it a “tactical move.”

The young infielder will turn 24 next March, making his future a promising one. If he can replicate his efficiency at the plate in 2019 and improve his defensive abilities, he could become one of the league’s most appealing third-baseman.

According to Newsday.com, Andujar has dropped the “off” from “offseason” and begun working on his craft:

“He came down for a few days a couple of weeks ago,” infield coach Carlos Mendoza, who lives in the Tampa area, said by phone Friday. “We always talk about his work ethic, and the fact that it’s the offseason and he’s already working at his craft, not just physically but baseball-wise . . .  that says a lot about Miguel Andujar.”

“It’s not that he wants to be good, he wants to be great. That’s the reason he’s doing what he’s doing,” Mendoza said. “He wants to continue to get better. He’s always looking for the details. ‘How can I improve here? How can I improve there?’ That’s what makes him special.”

The recent trade rumors circling Miguel Andujar:

Recent reports have emerged claiming that the Yankees and Mets have been in talks about a trade including Andujar. The Yankees would receive star pitcher Noah Syndergaard in the hypothetical deal, which would be enticing nonetheless. The narrative that nobody is “untouchable,” according to GM Brian Cashman might be a bit egregious, as allowing a promising player like Miguel to leave would be questionable.

Personally, I wouldn’t take anything Cashman says to the media too seriously, as any good general manager would never show their cards to the public. Andujar will most likely remain a Yankee for the extended future, and his work ethic is surely proving to be exactly what New York wants in a player.