After a small tear in his right labrum limited Miguel Andujar to just 12 games last season, the Yankees slugger declared himself healthy and ready to hit the field whenever (or if) the 2020 season gets underway. In an e-mail to George A. King III of the New York Post, Andujar said he is “very happy where I am at physically” as he approaches one full year since his last MLB game (last May 12).
“I feel great. I am working out five days a week building strength, working with the trainers, exercising and doing my best to stay sharp,” Andujar wrote. “It’s been almost a year since my injury and I feel 100 percent….For a while I was working out away from (Steinbrenner Field) with a trainer, hitting and staying sharp. I am back at the complex doing everything I can to prepare myself.”
Andujar was tentatively expected to be ready for Opening Day even if the season had started on time, and the 25-year-old admitted to being especially anxious to get back to action given that he missed virtually all of the 2019 campaign. That lost season opened the door for Gio Urshela to unexpectedly emerge as a big offensive contributor at third base, leading to the Yankees’ desire to try Andujar out at first base and left field during Spring Training in order to figure out ways to keep his bat in the lineup.
For his part, Andujar is happy to learn these new positions. “I am ready to play wherever the team needs me. I am ready to play, period,” he said. “I’ve continued to prepare to play any position I am asked to play. I look at it as having a number of doors open for me. They are all opportunities for me to play and I am going to try to take advantage of everything that is presented to me.”
Given that Andujar has struggled defensively over 143 career games as a third baseman, there was speculation even before his injury that a move off the hot corner was inevitable. His spring audition as a first baseman was a little shaky, and he was slated for much more corner outfield playing time in camp before the COVID-19 shutdown.
Delivering even passable glovework at any position would make Andujar all the more valuable, considering what Andujar has already shown at the plate. Andujar quickly emerged as one of the game’s top young hitters in 2018, batting .297/.328/.527 with 27 homers over 606 plate appearances and finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in AL Rookie Of The Year voting.
Lmao people still think he should’ve won ROY
As far as his peers are concerned, he did.
Andujar will probably be traded along with Frazier for pitching.
The only thing funny about that comment is that you think it’s funny.
I do. Give me a couple reasons why you don’t think he should have
I haven’t got anything who did win?
His position can be k ok earned, n learned to be very good. I always think of Wade Boggs who was very weak defensively when he first came to show but turned himself into a terrific 3rd baseman. He put the work in n if Andujar puts the work in, which I think he will, he will grow into his position too.
You don’t have to go back that far. Devers has gone from about as bad as Andujar, to a serviceable defenender. I doubt either will win a GG but no reason to think they can’t play a decent third.
Bad fielders that become good fielders are an uncommon exception and often there are signs that predict improvement. Andujar shows no such signs. He’s a DH.
In 2018, according to Fangraphs, Andujar defensive score was -14.0 while Devers was -2..7. No one was anywhere as close to as bad as Andujar was that year. Devers did improve to a 5.0 in 2019. That rate of improvement for Andujar still would rate him incredibly poor defensively which is why they are looking for other places for him to play. He is a DH.
By the way, Urshela, who Yankee fans say is so much better defensively than Andujar score a -0.8 defensively in 2019. Again, Andujar is a DH in many people’s eyes until he can prove otherwise.
How many DHs are on the Yankees five or six?
But he is healthy lol. Everyone is healthy in the offseason.
As a Yankee fan, I’m one of the few that acknowledges how bad our infield defense actually is. That includes Andujar, Urshella AND Gleyber Torres. People only remember the good plays and block out all the horrible ones I guess. Urshella makes some excellent plays at times, but his range is limited and a lot of balls he just can’t get to. Gleyber at SS is a train wreck waiting to happen IMO. Hope I’m wrong (I’m not), but he’s bad enough at 2nd and short is even more demanding.
While I agree (as a Yankees fan) that Andujar will probably NEVER be an average 3B, the same might have been said many years ago about Graig Nettles.
As I recall, two years before the Yankees got him in a trade with Cleveland, Nettles had 26 Errors at 3B, but he turned himself into one of the greatest defensive 3Bs in history.
A fun aside: The license plate on Nettles car was “E 5,” which he presumably chose as a joke & a constant reminder to focus on his D, and he did a damn good job on that, as the Dodgers can well attest.
It’s funny how Yankees fans thought trading him for DeGrom would be lopsided. That the Mets would need to add
There are plenty of Yankees fans out there so I’m sure some thought andujar was more valuable than degrom, but that was clearly a minority opinion and that wasn’t really a deal that was discussed. The player I remember hearing that the mets wanted was gleyber torres and a deal like that is unlikely to happen which is why it didn’t happen
He so should have won ROY. No question about it.
Ohtani had a higher slugging and on base percentage, 22 home runs, and a 151 OPS+. He also threw 51.2 innings and had a 3.31 ERA and 3.57 FIP. I get he had less playing time, but it’s not like he played 50 games. He played in over 100 and got 367 plate appearances.
Not saying Andujar was awful offensively, but Ohtani was better and Andujar had awful defense at third base.
Anyone that thinks Andujar was better than Ohtani and should have won the Roy is clueless
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Just drivin round in Jon Voight’s car
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@false-montey. Are you really going to continue with this? You’re MLBTR account is devoted to someone elses MLBTR account.
Let me ask y’all this: Do you think the Rangers should have targeted Andujar for THIRD base after they missed on Rendon this off-season? Was it better to sign Frazier, and see what happens? And finally, what package would we have had to make to get him?
Andujar’s injury hurt his trade value. Cashman wasn’t going to let him go cheap and Texas wasn’t going to pay a premium for a guy with a shoulder injury.
Yep. It wouldn’t make sense to sell low on him. There’s no hurry to trade him when you’re not going to get a desirable return.
It would depend if Texas sees him as a THIRD baseman or a DH.
DH
I think the Rangers are better off with Frazier than Andujar. I don’t think Frazier will be MORE productive but the cost in talent it would take get him just wouldn’t be worth it. I also find it difficult to believe he can be transformed into a good fielder. It was just one year but it was really that bad.
Lmfao I don’t recall andujar being able to pitch effectively and hit, that’s why he lost the ROY to Ohtani that year
Mike Trout Has NEVER demonstrated the ability to pitch at a major league level.. He’s clearly a far inferior player to Ohtani. Just following your logic.
Based on the above logic, a very true statement. But what would you expect from someone with the name “AstrosAreCheaters2017” besides stupid comments and ridiculous “logic.”
Well is Andujar put up a 10 WAR rookie year, yeah he probably would have won
Gauz- you no that is not what he meant ! Othani had more value because he was an effective pitcher as well as his offense…. ok
Third base is Urshela’s job to lose
Agree 100%
Urshela was wonderful at 3B defensively.
Andujar should be our DH/Backup 3B/OF
If he can improve on his rookie numbers, he’s an all star.
What are odds the Yanks move him this year?
Zero.
Andujar the player: .297-BA big plus
.328-OBP slightly below average
27-HR. plus but not close to premium
Speed. none
Defense. abortion
Quality of complete player: slightly above average
The Yankees and Yankee fans are going to value him as a solid gold star in trade talks. Above is how other teams will value him.
You’re assements about Andujar are pretty good, but Andujar is faster than you think. Had a 28.1 feet/second sprint speed, and was in the top 77th percentile of sprint speed. There’s some sneaky speed in Andujar.
The Rangers should trade for Andujar but I don’t want Mike Minor.
The Yanks are loaded for bear, Andujar is a hitting machine. He will DH and play 3rd a couple of days of the week. Yanks have Frazier and few young pitchers that are ready to explode on the scene.
If Andujar was such a machine he would be starting at 3B for the Yankees. Same goes for Frasier. The fact that they aren’t makes them backups. And about all these young pitchers who are ready to explode on the scene, why are we not seeing them on the prospect top 100 lists? I see one at #88 and one at #92. There are a whole lot of pitching prospects with a lot more promise. You should probably temper your expectations.
If the Yankees have young pitching ready to explode. I need to see it to believe it. Cashman for a decade or more can’t develop home grown aces.
To be fair I think Severino has proven his status as an ACE.
One of the reasons for revamping the pitching development and coaching this off-season.
Okay Sevy is good but not great yet and if you count him that’s one in over a decade.
Geez if this were a normal year Andujar would be the starter by now at third base or at the very least by the end of the month. With Gio being a one and done type player who got lucky with his bat last year and playing time. Let’s be real, any of you legends in your own minds think if Andujar hadn’t have gotten hurt last year Gio would have gotten a shot at third to begin with? Your nuts. He’d be in the minors. Triple A player. Andujar would have improved on his first year and if you think he wouldn’t have let me remind you of a shortstop who they had awhile back whose first year wasn’t very good. He did however make himself into an allstar and pretty good player. Maybe not the best in the field but you could have done worse. Miguel Andujar will be the yankees third basemen of the future. You heard it hear first.