Mike Tauchman

New York Yankees: Mike Tauchman will benefit the most from Stanton’s absence

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees lost Giancarlo Stanton to a hamstring injury over the weekend. It is still not clear whether he will miss too much time, but history suggests that the team should take a cautious approach with him and physical ailments, especially given the overall depth that the Bombers can enjoy.

The Stanton injury will likely result in the Yankees calling up Clint Frazier to shore up the outfield and the bench. Mike Ford could receive additional plate appearances not that Stanton isn’t in the picture, at least in the short term. But none of them will be the biggest beneficiary of the slugger’s absence.

Mike Tauchman, who was already receiving plenty of playing time before the Yankees lost Stanton, will now shift to an everyday role. Many people will say that he was deserving of it since last season, when he slashed .277/361/.504 while being a fine baserunner and top-caliber fielder in center and left.

This time around, Tauchman is also providing the New York Yankees with top-notch offensive production at .310/.355/.414, with four stolen bases so far. He has six hits in his last seven games, including three doubles.

Separating himself from the other Yankees’ options

However, if he is going to take full advantage of the playing time available and separate himself from the other options in the New York Yankees’ roster, Tauchman needs to improve his plate discipline numbers.

Last season, he showed he was more than willing to take a walk, with an 11.5 BB%. This time around, the numbers has decreased almost by half, as he is at 6.5 BB%. Of course, it is still early in the season.

Another possible red flag is that his strikeout rate has surged from 24.0% last season to 32.3% in 2020. Another area to improve. If Tauchman is able to make those adjustments and keep hitting, stealing bases and showing a good glove, it will be very hard for the Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone to write his name off the lineup even when Stanton returns.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees lose the final game in Philly, some take-a-ways

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

Last night in Philadelphia the New York Yankees put out their “B” team to try and take the four-game series from Joe Girardi’s Phillies, but it was not to be had.  The game was basically over in the first inning when Yankee starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery made one mistake to J T Realmuto that allowed a three-run home run just into the first few rows on the left-field stands.

Montgomery got into trouble right away in the first inning. Hoskins and Harper got on base and then Realmuto took a hanging curveball into the stands for the early 3-0 lead. The Phillies would never relinquish that lead.  In the top of the second inning  with Gardner and Urshela on base, Gary Sanchez struck out.  The hot Mike Tauchman stepped to the plate and hit a long single driving both Gardner and Urshela, making it Phillies 3 and the Yankees 2.

Moving on to the bottom of the 3 inning with Montgomery still on the mound he allowed one on, walked Harper, and Phil Gosselin doubled off Monty, driving in two, for the Phillies 5-2 lead, leading to the end of Montgomery’s night.  The score stayed that way until the seventh when the New York Yankees staged a failed comeback.

At the top of the Yankees seventh, Gio Urshela doubled off Phillies reliever Nick Pivetta.  Gary Sanchez who has been miserable behind the plate, with a .80 batting average came to the plate.  Sanchez got his first homer of the year, driving in Urshela for the two-run shot. Phillies 5, Yankees 4, and that’s how the game would end up, with the Yankees just falling short.

The “B” team tried but just couldn’t make it without DJ LeMahieu who always gets on base and the toured Aaron Judge and his home run power. It is somewhat of a mystery when with the series on the line, manager Aaron Boone chose this lineup. Late in the eighth inning Boone did bring in Judge but he struck out. In the ninth Boone brought in LeMahieu who singled, but Luke Voit flew out ending the game.  The reinforcements were brought in but it was too late for the Yankees as they split the series with the Phillies.

There were not many significant takeaways from the game, but the Yankees have to be thrilled with the continuing hot hitting by Gio Urshela and Mike Tauchman.  Brett Gardner also got two hits on the night and Giancarlo Stanton continues his plate discipline, getting a hit in the game.  With Gary Sanchez’s home run, they hope his hitting will now kick in. In relief of Montgomery, David Hale and Jonathan Holder pitched four scoreless innings as the bullpen continues to do their job. Sanchez’s home continues a streak of 24 home runs for the Yankees on the season. That’s an average of two home runs per game.

The New York Yankees, after the game, took their first air flight of the season, for a four-game matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.  Masahiro Tanaka will take the mound for the New York Yankees tonight, and Gerrit Cole will pitch the first game of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday.

 

 

 

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees and Phillies settle for split of the doubleheader in Philly

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto punish the Yankees

The New York Yankees that are number one in all of baseball fell to the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday afternoon in a game that was pitched by the Yankees miserably. J.A. Happ in his second start of the season again faltered. Happ allowed two on base in the first but got out of it.  At the bottom of the frame, the Yankees scored a run when they loaded the bases and Gleyber Torres drove in DJ LeMahieu from third for the early Yankee 1-0 lead.

With one on in, the second Brett Gardner smashed his third home run in his last four games for the Yankee 3-0 lead.  Happ got through the inning and it looked as though it was going to be all Yankees.  Then came the third inning when Happ completely fell apart. First, with one on Bryce Harper blast one to the center-field seats, 3-2 Yankees. Then Happ loaded the bases and walks a run in for a tied score. In the inning, Happ gave up four runs while walking six Phillies and that was the end of Happ’s night.

Jonathan Holder pitched a clean fourth inning. Nick Nelson came in to pitch in the fifth, he ended up being a bigger disaster than Happ was, he gave up six runs in one and two-thirds innings. Two of those runs scored when Nelson threw a ball over catcher Kyle Higasioka’s head with the bases loaded. Luis Cessa made his first appearance since coming back from the coronavirus shut down the Phillies to close the eighth inning and pitched a scoreless ninth.

Totally poor pitching on the New York Yankees part led to the 11-3 loss and the loss of being first in all of baseball, that honor now goes to the Minnesota Twins who are 10-2.  The only bright spots in the game were Brett Gardner’s third homer of the year, Aaron Judge had his seventh home run in as many games, DJ LeMahieu going 3 for 3, and the reemergence of Luis Cessa. The Yankees have to fix whatever is wrong with J.A. Happ, they can’t have him losing every game his pitches in the first few innings.

Final score Phillies 11 Yankees 7.  Zack Wheeler got the win, Happ the loss, and Hector Neris got the save for the Phillies.

Game 2 – Yankee bullpen does their job in 3-1 Yankee win

Game two was a bullpen game for the New York Yankees.  Jonathan Loaisiga opened pitching two and a third innings giving up just one run.  Luis Avilan followed for a scoreless inning, and Chad Green continued to impress pitch two and a third scoreless innings.  Adam Ottavino got one out in the sixth, and Zack Britton in the seventh got his fifth save of the season.

At the top of the second inning, Gleyber Torres showed his infield weakness when he made a diving catch but then made an error when the ball went off his glove scoring the only Phillies run in the game.  At the bottom of the frame, Luke Voit hit a no-doubter, tieing the score at one.  The Yankee’s bat remained silent as Aaron Nola went into double digits strikeouts.

In the final (seventh) inning the Yankee bats came alive. With two on, centerfielder Mike Tauchman hit a long double driving in a run for the Yankee lead.   Gio Urshela got a hit driving in Tyler Wade from third for the final 3-1 Yankee win. Britton saved it for the Yankees in the bottom of the frame.

Adam Ottavino pitching only 1/3 of an inning got the win for the Yankees, Tommy Hunter the loss, and Britton the save.

The Yankees showed in game two that they can play small ball too.  The “little” guys got the win without the help of the big bats but accompanied by solid pitching.  The Yankees continued to show that the bullpen is sharp and can get the job done.  Probably the biggest take away from the doubleheader is that the Yankee must figure out how to fix Happ, or stop putting him out there to lose games.

New York Yankees: Full Analysis of last night’s Yankees/Mets game

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

The New York Yankees shined last night in their 9-3 win over the crosstown New York Mets. Unfortunately, the Mets, on the other hand, did not look good for a team that said this would be a bounce-back year for the team. The Yankees were errorless, and the Mets committed four errors and two plays that should have been errors.  That being said, the mistakes didn’t cost the Mets much.  The Yankees won on pitching and the best hitting I’ve seen from them during this summer camp.

The Yankees sent out prospect Michael King that they hope to use at some point in the regular season when needed.  King did not disappoint, King went four innings with one earned run, three hits, and three strikeouts, an encouraging sign for the Yankee brass.  Zack Britton and Ben Heller both pitched an inning, giving up one run apiece.  The trio of Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, and Adam Ottavino went three scoreless innings.  Chad Green looked particularly sharp.

New York Mets starter Rick Porcello looked like a shadow of his former self.  He went five innings while giving up three runs and striking out only three Yankees. Not only did he not pitch well, but he looked thin and even somewhat frail.  If Porcello pitched poorly, the Mets bullpen was worse. The next six pitchers out of the bullpen combined for only four strikeouts while giving up six runs.  Simply put, it was a pitching disaster for the Mets.

Overall over this short summer camp, I have been impressed with how the New York Yankees pitching staff seemed to be prepared and sharp, starters and relievers.  Conversely, throughout summer camp, I thought the hitters were far behind the pitchers in their preparedness, with the exception of Thairo Estrada that had three homers in five intrasquad games.  Last night, however, the Yankee lineup looked ready for the postseason.  It was if they turned the page and said this game counts.

Gio Urshela, although he didn’t get a hit, had really good swings.  The highlight of the game was the masked Clint Frazier’s monster 428′ blast into the Queen’s night. His bomb went well into the second deck of the left-field stands at Citi Park.  The hitting star of the game was bench player Mike Tauchman who went 3 for 3 on the night. Miguel Andujar went 2 for 4 while making some nice catches in left field.

Although Aaron Judge was not in the lineup last night, Giancarlo Stanton was. Stanton looked good walking, hitting a double and scoring twice. Catcher Erik Kratz brought in in the ninth, had his impact on the game by singling and driving in two, in a ninth-inning where the Yankees poured it on.

The New York Yankees defense was sharp last night, Miguel Andujar did a fine job in the outfield and Gleyber Torres was errorless at short.  Tyler Wade was particularly sharp playing at second in place of DJ LeMahieu making several excellent plays. The Yankees may need him if DJ is not ready to start on opening day.  Also in the ninth Zack Granite made a great catch at the wall.

The New York Mets hitters, for the most part, looked impotent, with the exception of 1st baseman Pete Alonso who racked up two hits.  I was impressed with Amed Rosario’s stand up triple; he ran like the wind. I was somewhat surprised to see Yoenis Cespedes in the lineup last night.  He hasn’t played for two years, and it showed last night as he went 0-4.

If the New York Mets are going to have a bounceback year, they are going to have to play better than they did last night.  Looking forward, if the New York Yankees continue to look as sharp at the plate and in the field, is any indication, they look great going into the season.  The Mets will have another chance at the Yankees tonight at 7 pm at Yankee Stadium. Tonight the Mets Oswalt will face the Yankees Jordan Montgomery.

As far as the atmosphere was concerned, I was a bit surprised.  I really thought that cutouts of fans in the stands were pretty corny, I really didn’t mind it, it added a bit of color compared to empty seats behind home plate. I also didn’t mind the lack of sound in the stadium.  It may just be because I have been so anxious to see baseball restart.

I’d like to close by discussing Clint Frazier for a moment. I have never been a big Frazier fan.  Realizing that he is definitely a talent with a sweet swing, I always thought his lack of maturity would hold him back.  He has obviously been a work in progress in his defense, but how he handles himself by not taking responsibility for poor play, has been a turn-off.

It’s possible that we are seeing a new Clint Frazier this season.  His statement about why he wears a mask on the field is inspiring, and at the same time, it may show that he has turned the page on his responsibility issues.  The young man could have a great future with the New York Yankees and I hope he does.

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees: Take-a-ways from yesterday’s Zoom interviews, crowd noise?

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

Some New York Yankees players were again available for Zoom interviews yesterday and last night.  Here are the major take-a-ways from those calls.

Zack Britton:  Zack spoke at some length on how he stands pitching-wise. He said he’s doing well, but his changeup is a little inconsistent, but that he is working on it.  He expressed a little surprise at how all the pitchers were pitching at such a high level after being away from the game for so long. He mentioned specifically Tommy Kahnle, Chad Green, and Adam Ottavino.  He said he thought it was easier for pitchers to stay ready compared to hitters.  Mentioning that, he said the hitters seemed to be behind the pitchers in readiness.

When he was asked about what it’s like to play in a quiet stadium, and if he thought crowd noise would help the players.

“I think it is a good idea if they are going to allow steady crowd noise to be pumped in. That would be good for the guys, obviously, it gets pretty quiet,’’ Britton said Thursday night at the Stadium. “I have heard of teams, including ours, that might be exploring putting in some type of crowd noise throughout the game. I am not sure how loud it is going to be and what it would look like, but I think it is a good idea, and our team would like that and create some type of atmosphere in the Stadium.’’

Kyle Higasioka:  Kyle was asked about some neck soreness he has experienced earlier in the day.  He said he didn’t feel it was much of an issue, but it better to take a day now than two weeks later in the season.

Kyle was also asked about crowd noise at Yankee Stadium.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I would be opposed to it,” he said. “We have some light music out there while we are playing to break up the dead silence. It’s better than it was the first day, where we were just playing in an abyss, just a void of sound. I wouldn’t be opposed to crowd noise.’’

He was asked if he had been told what his New York Yankees schedule would be like, and if he knew what Gary Sanchez’s schedule was.  He said he has not been told and that it’s not something I think about.  I just show up every day ready to play. He was asked if he agreed with Zack Britton that the pitchers were ahead of the hitters, and he said, yes that he agreed. He cited that pitchers can stay ready, they can throw into a net.  It’s different for hitters if they don’t see live pitching.

MikeTauchman:  Mike was asked how he was feeling? He responded that he was 100%, I feel great.  He was asked about what he expected this season? “I don’t know if anybody knows what to expect this season.” He continued that that stuff always seems to work itself out.  I’m 100%, I’m excited, and I’m ready for whatever my role will be.

On what’s it like to play during a pandemic he said:  Being from Chicago my wife and I had strick stay at home orders, so It’s really nice to get out here, I’m excited to be with the guys. We are doing what we can to act responsibly to keep as safe as we can.  I’m excited to play some baseball.

He was also asked if he thought the pitchers were ahead of the hitters? He laughed and said I think Gerrit Cole is ahead of everyone. He then added that he thinks this season is no different than any season, the pitchers always have an edge over the hitters early on. He feels the hitters will adjust pretty quickly once the season gets started.

Aaron Boone:  Boone was first asked what he thought of how prospect Deivi Garcia looked.  Boone responded that he thought he looked efficient, he was getting some fastballs up and getting some strikeouts, he threw some good breaking pitches, so it was good to see him out there and get going.

In the process of questions, Boone offered that Friday would be an off day for the New York Yankees, so that the rain wouldn’t be much of a problem.  He also stated that they will will have a game Saturday that would be started by J. A. Happ and would have Schmidt in there too, he thought.  He said that there would be a day game on Sunday that Cole would start.

Boone touched on the subject of hitters being ready. He stated that with just a few weeks compared to the normal six or seven weeks the process has to be sped up a bit. I think the hitters are a little overwhelmed right not facing 98 mph.  Timing is a fickle thing, sometimes it clicks right in, sometimes it takes a while.

He was asked if he had a rotation set for the New York Yankees start of the season.  He replied that he had not had serious conversations about that.  In the next few days, we will start to have some conversations but it will be the last week when we firm that up.

 

 

New York Yankees: Establishing Mike Tauchman’s real-life value

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

Last season, Mike Tauchman was one of the unsung hero of the New York Yankees. The team had some incredibly bad luck with injuries and someone needed to step up his game. Thankfully, Clint Frazier did it for a while and Brett Gardner had a career-best year.

However, Tauchman came almost out of the blue and performed admirably: he finished 2019 with 2.6 fWAR in just 87 games, which translated to a 162-game pace, is roughly 4.8 wins above replacement. That number would make him a borderline star.

But is Tauchman really a 4.8 WAR player? Well, he looks the part defensively. He had a 4.2 “Def” rating according to Fangraphs, which is basically 4.2 fielding runs above average.In left field, he had 12 DRS, 6.3 UZR and 19.1 UZR/150 in 472.2 frames. He was elite out there.

The New York Yankees also sent him for 99.2 innings in center field, and he was OK there, too. He had 2 DRS, 0.7 UZR and 3.7 UZR/150 while patroling the outfield’s most difficult position.

On the basepaths, Tauchman was also a net positive. The Yankees’ outfielder stole six bases plus four on the minors, and had a +1.2 base running rating per Fangraphs.

Is the Yankees’ outfielder a true-talent +.500-slugging hitter?

The offensive side of the game is where his value is more difficult to identify. He slashed .277/.361/.504 with a .364 wOBA and a 128 wRC+, all very good numbers. He hit 13 home runs in just under 300 plate appearances (296.) But his expected stats were somewhat lacking (.248 xBA, .412 xSLG, .323 xwOBA) and that raises the question about the sustainability of his performance.

He did, however, had a more than decent hard-hit rate of over 39 percent and upped his average exit velocity to the 88.5 mph range. So while he may not be a true-talent .277/.361/.504 hitter, he looks capable of batting in the .260-.270 range while slugging somewhere in the neighborhood of .470-.480 and sporting an OBP near .350. With his defense and baserunning, that would make him a very good player, and the Yankees surely won’t complain.

If the coronavirus outbreak hadn’t stopped the season from starting when it was scheduled, Tauchman would have been an unquestioned regular, either in center or left field (he was elite in the latter last year.) However, that wasn’t the case and MLB and the union are still negotiating the terms for a restart, which have caused injured stars in the Yankees’ lineup such as Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton, to get healthier.

Unfortunately for Tauchman, they are all outfielders, and they will all play at least semi-regularly if they aren’t hurt. That’s why Tauchman’s prospects for regular playing time have taken a hit in the last few weeks, and will worsen if there isn’t a quick resolution.

New York Yankees: Outfielder Mike Tauchman ready to make an impact

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

 

New York Yankees Mike Tauchman has been a slow blooming acquisition of the Yankees from the Colorado Rockies. He has spent most of his time in the minors but also has shown his abilities to play almost anywhere on the field. Late in the season he became one of the Yankees hottest bats. Let’s find out a bit more about this versatile player.

Mike is 29 years old; he is a multi-talented athlete having attended high school in Palatine, Illinois, where he played baseball and was the quarterback for the football team. In his senior year, he led a come from behind win against future NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He attended Bradley University, where he played baseball for the Bradley Braves. In his senior in 2013, he won the Missouri Conference Player of the Year Award.

After college, he would be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 summer draft. From 2013 through 2016, he would hit only one home run. But in 2017, he would hit 16 long balls. He would make his major league debut on June 27, 2017. He would play in 31 games in 2017 hitting .222. In 2018 he would be Pacific Coast League Player of the Week from May 14–20. In this week, he would make a big splash. He would hit .417 with five home runs with eight runs scored and a total of 27 bases. That wouldn’t last as he would only hit .097 for in 21 games in the major league. General Manager of the Yankees Brian Cashman saw something special in Mike and made a trade for him, making him a New York Yankee.

After the trade in March, he would make the opening day roster, which was a surprise to many Yankee fans, as it had appeared that Tyler Wade had earned the spot. Many questioned Cashman’s wisdom. In the first half of the season, he would bounce back and forth from Scranton Wilkes/Barre and the stadium. Before the All-Star break, he would hit .228 with four home runs in 42 games.

In the summer dog days, Tauchman would catch fire. In his final 45 games, Tauchman powered nine home runs, 20 extra-base hits, 30 RBI, and slashed .315/.395/.582. Tauchman’s peak came in July when he had 13 RBI in 16 games, plus an OPS of 1.224. He seemed to find power and became a clutch hitter out of thin air and become an unexpectedly reliable contributor for the team. Unfortunately, Tauchman’s season came to a premature end after a Grade 2 calf strain sidelined him in September. He likely wouldn’t have played much in the playoffs anyway, but it was a sour end to a breakout season for Tauchman.

At 29, Mike should be coming into his prime. Last year the Yankees used him out of necessity due to the unprecedented number of injuries. This year, after last year’s surprising season, you may be seeing Mike “The Sockman” taking a much more major role in the Yankee success. He will most likely be platooning between the center and left field at least until Aaron Hicks returns from Tommy John surgery. Aaron Boone will want to keep Tauchman around as he also adds a crucial left-hand bat to the New York Yankee’s overly heavy lineup of right-handed batters.

Tauchman finished the year with a .277 batting average, hitting 13 home runs in only 82 games. With his excellent outfield defense, Mike is ready to contribute and wants to make an impact in his second season.

New York Yankees: What will the outfield look like without Judge, Hicks?

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Despite the New York Yankees’ success last season, they had a tremendous problem with keeping their players healthy. The 2019 Yankees racked up the most injuries of any team that season and in MLB history. Even though most of those guys have recovered and are looking to have a different story this season, two big players are still questionable for this season.

Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks are still dealing with injuries, and timetables for their return are uncertain. Hicks underwent Tommy John surgery following last year’s postseason and has been rehabbing ever since. He’s been throwing for some time now and began taking batting practice. Judge, on the other hand, is still a mystery as to how his recovery is going. He hasn’t resumed any baseball activities since he was shut down and there’s no telling when he will.

General manager Brian Cashman did mention that he expects Judge to return sometime this summer, and it’s expected that Hicks will do the same.

What could the outfield look like without Hicks and Judge?

It’s no question that losing Hicks and Judge from the lineup is a big loss for the New York Yankees. With that being said, the Yankees are lucky enough to have incredibly talented backups. I believe the outfield depth could look something like this:

Right field: Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade

Center field: Mike Tauchman, Brett Gardner

Left field: Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Tauchman, Clint Fazier

The Yankees are very fortunate enough to have several players that can play pretty much the entire outfield. Mike Tauchman and Brett Garder are both dual-position players, and you can stick Tyler Wade out there and he can hold it down. Despite the obvious lack of solid defense, Clint Frazier can also play multiple positions.

I believe that Mike Tauchman should be the primary backup outfielder due to his tremendous defense and strong bat. Due to his history of constant injuries, Giancarlo Stanton shouldn’t play left field every day, and that’s where Mike Tauchman can come into play.

With Hicks and Judge out with injuries, Clint Frazier could play right field, Tauchman in center field, and Stanton in left field. This, to me, is the best option for the Yankees. Those are three above-average hitters that can fill the void while Hicks and Judge work to get 100% healthy.

The New York Yankees boast enviable outfield depth

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees received some great news on Tuesday: Aaron Hicks, the team’s starting center fielder, is ramping up his training at home and can be seen performing several exercises in an Instagram post.

The slick-fielding switch hitter can be seen taking batting practice, sprinting on a treadmill, and throwing around a large medicine ball at his Florida home.

Hicks, currently 30 years old, is one of the Yankees’ best and most important players when healthy. He remains a two-way contributor thanks to his fielding prowess in center field and his powerful bat from both sides of the plate. Having him back when (or should we say if?) the season restarts is crucial for the Bombers.

The Yankees have an outfield of stars

However, the New York Yankees can brag about having one of the best and deepest outfield corps in the majors.
And, to the surprise of some, the Yankees’ outfield is not only excellent with the bat, but it is also filled with more than capable defenders. Aaron Judge has a case for being the best right fielder in the game (with a 7.6 defensive rating in Fangraphs and a league-leading 20 DRS), while Hicks, Brett Gardner and Mike Tauchman are also usual contributors with the glove and with the wood.

And if that isn’t enough, the Yankees also have Giancarlo Stanton’s underrated glove capable of playing in left field. He is, however, best known for his bat, and rightfully so. The presence of Clint Frazier and the possibility of Miguel Andujar playing some reps in left field really complicates matters when it comes to finding playing time for everyone involved, but manager Aaron Boone knows that, with that kind of depth, his club can cope with an injury or two.

As you can see, the Yankees could field two outfields capable of starting at any level. That speaks volumes about the organization’s player development and scouting staff. Let’s just hope there is a season to play.

New York Yankee Player Profiles: Mike Tauchman will he start at the Stadium this season?

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Mike Tauchman, New York Yankees

Mike Tauchman, the utility outfielder

Mike Tauchman has been a slow blooming acquisition of the New York Yankees from the Colorado Rockies. He has spent most of his time in the minors but also has shown his abilities to play almost anywhere on the field, late in the season he became one of the Yankees hottest bats. Let’s find out a bit more about this versatile player.

Mike is 29 years old, he is a multi-talented athlete having attended high school in Palatine, Illinois, where he played baseball and was the quarterback for the football team. In his senior year, he led a come from behind win against future NFL quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He attended Bradley University, where he played baseball for the Bradley Braves. In his senior in 2013, he won the Missouri Conference Player of the Year Award.

His time with the Colorado Rockies

After college, he would be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 summer draft. From 2013 through 2016, he would hit only one home run. But in 2017, he would hit 16 long balls. He would make his major league debut on June 27, 2017. He would play in 31 games in 2017 hitting .222. In 2018 he would be Pacific Coast League Player of the Week from May 14–20. In this week, he would make a big splash. He would hit .417 with 5 home runs with 8 runs scored and a total of 27 bases. That wouldn’t last as he would only hit .097 for in 21 games in the major league.

Tauchman makes his Yankee Debut

General Manager of the New York Yankees Brian Cashman saw something special in Mike and made a trade for him, making him a New York Yankee. After the trade in March, he would make the opening day roster, which was a surprise to many Yankee fans, as it had appeared that Tyler Wade had earned the spot. Many questioned Cashman’s wisdom. In the first half of the season, he would bounce back and forth from Scranton Wilkes/Barre and the stadium.

Prior to the All-Star break, he would hit .228 with four home runs in 42 games. In the summer dog days, Tauchman would catch fire. In his final 45 games, Tauchman powered nine home runs, 20 extra-base hits, 30 RBI and slashed .315/.395/.582. Tauchman’s peak came in July when he had 13 RBI in 16 games, plus an OPS of 1.224. He seemed to find power, and became clutch out of thin air, and become an unexpectedly reliable contributor for the team. Unfortunately, Tauchman’s season came to a premature end after a Grade 2 calf strain that sidelined him in September. He likely wouldn’t have played much in the playoffs anyway, but it was a sour end to a breakout season for Tauchman.

Tauchman will most likely stay in the majors

At 29, Mike should be coming into his prime. Last year the Yankees used him out of necessity due to the unprecedented number of injuries. This year, after last year’s surprising season, you may be seeing Mike “The Sockman” taking a much more major role in the Yankee success. He will most likely be platooning between center and left field at least until Aaron Hicks returns from Tommy John surgery. Aaron Boone will want to keep Tauchman around as he also adds an important left-hand bat to the Yankees overly heavy lineup of right-handed batters. With his excellent outfield defense, Mike is ready to contribute.

Just as the coronavirus has delayed the start of the season, it will also affect different players in different ways.  For James Paxton, for instance, the delay has meant that although he was to miss the first two months of the season, he may now not miss any time at all.  Conversely, with injured players currently available, it may affect whether players like Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade, and Mike Tauchman get to play daily, or if they stay on the major league level.  With the New York Yankees needing left-hand bats in the lineup, it just may make Clint Frazier the man out.