Three Weeks to Opening Day...

First day of Spring is March 20^th but Life Begins Anew on March 29^th…

It’s Jorge Posada Day! 20 more days until the start of the regular season and the Yankees walking up to the plate at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada to begin their quest for the 28^th World Series championship in franchise history. Hip, hip, Hor-hay! 

Photo Credit: Daniel Burch, The Greedy Pinstripes (sorry, I don't know where Daniel got the pic)

I have to admit I feel badly for third baseman Mike Moustakas. A career high 38 home runs and he gets less money this year than Todd Frazier. For his one year “pillow” contract with the Kansas City Royals, he’ll get $5.5 million with the opportunity to earn an additional $2.2 million in incentives. There is a mutual option for 2019 for $15 million which carries a $1 million buyout. Odds are that the Royals either trade Moose Tacos at the trading deadline or they exercise the buyout next off-season. I bet Moustakas does not make it through the season as a Royal. This shows how truly remarkable it was that GM Brian Cashman was able to get the San Diego Padres to absorb Chase Headley’s $13 million contract by simply attaching RHP Bryan Mitchell, who had no clear role with the Yankees. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Andy Hayt)

I don’t blame the Yankees for not playing in the Moose Tacos sweepstakes. Actually, it appears that no team wanted to play. I liked the idea of Moustakas taking aim at the right field porch in Yankee Stadium, but once the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury (a player I like) to pair with Miguel Andujar, I didn’t give it another thought. The Yankees were never going to offer Moustakas a long-term deal and it didn’t seem wise to forfeit the draft choices (2^nd and 5^th round picks) and the international bonus pool money for a short-term investment. Last year’s second round draft choice (RHP Matt Sauer) is currently the Yankees’ 12^th best prospect according to MLB.com. Considering how strong the Yankees farm system currently is, that’s no small feat and there is good value with high draft selections. I don’t think draft choices alone would have been reason not to sign Moustakas, but all things considered, I feel comfortable with the players currently at third for the Pinstripers. 

The Yankees made their first cuts yesterday as the team begins paring down for the Opening Day roster. The first camp casualties were Justus Sheffield, Cale Coshow, Raynel Espinal, Trevor Lane, Chace Numata, and Dillon Tate. In light of the rough day that Sheffield had yesterday against the Philadelphia Phillies, I wish he could have departed under better circumstances. Top Sheff gave up three hits and runs in 1 2/3 innings to balloon his Spring ERA to 11.81. But it was a learning experience and there’s no doubt we’ll see Sheffield in the Bronx at some point later in the season. Better, faster, stronger and we won’t need to rebuild him.

I am starting to see more and more writers and bloggers saying that Tyler Wade is the leader for the second base job. I’ve felt all Spring the Yankees would break camp with Wade as the starting second baseman. Without regard to the delay in service time, I felt (and still feel) that Gleyber Torres will benefit from further experience at Triple A as he continues his road back from Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing arm. The guy is so incredibly young although extraordinarily talented.  He’ll make his Major League debut sooner than later in the 2018 season. Once he arrives, I have no doubt he’ll own second base for years to come. In the meantime, I look forward to the opportunity that awaits Tyler Wade.

Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire (Doug Murray)

While I think Ronald Torreyes will make the Opening Day roster (with non-roster invitee Danny Espinosa opting out of his contract at the end of training camp), it would seem that he is an inevitable candidate for DFA at some point during the season. Once both Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar arrive at the Show to join Brandon Drury and Tyler Wade, there’s simply not going to be any room for Toe. He is the weakest of the group despite how valuable he’s been the last couple of years.

I am glad to hear that Aaron Judge has no current plans to participate with this year’s Home Run Derby.The Derby is fun for the fans but I’d prefer to see Judge focus on rest and relaxation regardless of whether or not he makes this year’s All-Star team. Too many are trying to speculate whether his participation last year was the direct cause for his second half slump. I don’t really care. It’s all water under the bridge now. Judge knows and understands his body better than anyone and I know that he’ll make the right decisions going forward. It was a learning experience. He has won the Derby and there is nothing left to prove. Winning a championship is all that matters.  There’s no doubt Judge knows that better than any of us.

Billy McKinney has proven the Yankees have nothing to fear if they include Clint Frazier in a trade for a starting pitcher. I’ve been very impressed with McKinney’s work with the bat and at first base this Spring. While I think it’s possible that Adam Lind could supplant Tyler Austin as the backup first baseman, McKinney, with more experience at first base, could replace both of them and is an heir-apparent for left field if the Yankees do not re-sign Brett Gardner next off-season and if Frazier is included in the inevitable deal for an upper echelon starting pitcher. McKinney could make his presence felt in the Bronx this year if, Heaven-forbid, injuries strike. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

We’re moving into the “dog days” of training camp. The point where the excitement of Spring baseball is over and the joy and anticipation of Opening Day is starting to seep in. I’m ready and anxious to see the latest Yankees take the field at Yankee Stadium (by way of Rogers Centre, of course).

Go Yankees!  

Predicting the Opening Day Roster...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Kim Klement)

Next Stop, Toronto Pearson International Airport…

We should begin seeing some whittling down of bodies at Steinbrenner Field soon so it got me thinking about the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. March 29^th, and a date with the Toronto Blue Jays, is only three weeks away so the regular season will be upon us before we know it. 

Count me among those who do not place much stock in Miguel Andujar’s slew of home runs against mostly Double-A pitching. I think Andujar will make a contribution this year, perhaps a significant one, but I do not feel that he’ll head to Toronto with the team after they play their final Spring game in Atlanta against the Braves.  My guess is that he spends more time with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to work on his defensive game.  

Here is my projection for the Opening Day Roster (with starting position players in italics). 

Starting Pitchers

Luis Severino

Masahiro Tanaka

Sonny Gray

CC Sabathia

Jordan Montgomery

Closer

Aroldis Chapman

Setup

Dellin Betances

David Robertson

Bullpen Studs

Tommy Kahnle

Chad Green

Rest of the Pen

Adam Warren

Chasen Shreve

Catcher

Gary Sanchez

Austin Romine

First Base

Greg Bird

Adam Lind

Second Base

Tyler Wade

Ronald Torreyes

Shortstop

Didi Gregorius

Third Base

Brandon Drury

Outfielders

Aaron Judge, RF

Brett Gardner, LF

Aaron Hicks, CF

Giancarlo Stanton, DH

Jacoby Ellsbury

The guess is Judge will be exclusively a right-fielder and DH, with Stanton primarily filling the DH role but covering both outfield corner positions dependent upon the ballpark. When (not if) Ellsbury gets hurt (assuming that he recovers from the right oblique strain in time for Opening Day), Clint Frazier gets the first look as his replacement with Billy McKinney next in line.

I don’t know what happens with Tyler Austin. The way the Yankees keep trying to replace him leads me to believe that he is not in the long-term vision. I could very well be wrong about the backup first base job. Perhaps Austin does win it and Lind opts out of his minor league contract in a couple of weeks. But it’s hard to overlook Lind’s history of success at the Major League level so I won’t. 

It remains my belief we’ll see Gleyber Torres as the starting second baseman during the season, maybe as early as the first of May. Assuming he doesn’t go to Baltimore in a mammoth mid-season trade for Manny Machado, I think Andujar will see extended time in the Majors for the Pinstripers too. Admittedly, if he keeps up his torrid hitting over the next couple of weeks as MLB starters are stretched out in preparation for the season, he could force his way onto the Opening Day Roster. If that happens, Lind (or Austin) could be the odd man out, with Drury and Romine serving as the less-than-desirable first base backups in addition to their other duties.   

The first reliever on the Scranton Shuttle will be right-hander Ben Heller, followed closely by fellow righty Giovanny Gallegos. For emergency starter, I’d prefer to go with Domingo German over Luis Cessa but the team seems to love Cessa in spot starts despite the lackluster results.

The toughest call is the batting order but my choices from second to fifth would be Judge, Bird, Stanton, and Sanchez, respectively. Regardless of how this shakes out under Aaron Boone, I feel sorry for American League pitchers.

There’s still plenty of time for roster surprises but I think injuries would play the primary role in any deviations, in my humble opinion (which of course could be seriously flawed). 

As the saying goes, time will tell as it often does…

If you haven’t already done so, you should check out Bryan Hoch’s new book, The Baby Bombers: The Inside Story of the Next Yankees Dynasty. The book is available through multiple outlets including Amazon.com (where I bought my copy).

Go Yankees!

Painful Experience: TV Games Thru NESN-Colored Glasses...

However, the End Result is all that matters…

Despite fielding a team with primarily high numbers (on their jerseys; not their stats), the Yankees accomplished the objective on Saturday. Beat the Red Sox. The Yankees came away from their only visit to JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, FL with a 5-3 victory. I know, it means nothing but as I said yesterday, I wanted to beat the Red Sox regardless of the significance of the game. Hanley Ramirez, who promised the Red Sox Nation that they’d “step on everybody’s neck” when the Sox signed J.D. Martinez, was 0-for-3, with a strikeout.

Since the game was televised by the MLB Network and it was at Boston’s ballpark, we were subjected to the NESN broadcast crew of Dave O’Brien, Tim Wakefield and Steve Lyons. Maybe it was just me, but I found their telecast to be one of the most myopic experiences that I’ve ever witnessed. If you believed what you heard (no worries, I did not), you would come away thinking the Red Sox are an extraordinary team, made more powerful with the presence of J.D. Martinez, while the Yankees have numerous questions and are a “one-dimensional team”. They also took shots at CC Sabathia for no reason, leaving you with the impression that CC is held together by duct tape. I didn’t mind the guests they featured regarding the Red Sox Foundation and other notable causes, but it seemed like they disregarded the game at times and it was as if the NESN broadcasters knew nothing about the Yankees players in the game. As Charles Barkley would say, “That’s turrible”. I am not impressed by NESN or the Red Sox.

Miguel Andujar continued his hot hitting. He didn’t start the game but entered later as a replacement for Brandon Drury. His eighth-inning single scored Jeff Hendrix with an insurance run after the Yankees had taken a one-run lead on the Sox. The day was an enjoyable experience for Andujar who got to meet one of his childhood heroes, former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Although Andujar and Ortiz are both from the Dominican Republic, I was not aware they were from the same hometown.  No wonder Andujar emulates Big Papi’s swing.

The Yankees improved to 8-1, best in the Grapefruit League.  Today, they’ll face an old friend in Nathan “Nasty Nate” Eovaldi and the Tampa Bay Rays.  Nick Solak, one of the Yankees prospects involved in the trade for Brandon Drury, will start at second base for the Rays.

Here is the scheduled lineup for the Yankees at home in Tampa against the visiting Rays (sorry, I always find humor in that statement):

Brett Gardner, CF

Aaron Judge, RF

Giancarlo Stanton, LF

Gary Sanchez, C

Brandon Drury, DH

Danny Espinosa, 3B

Billy McKinney, 1B

Ronald Torreyes, 2B

Tyler Wade, SS

Chad Green will be the starting pitcher. Aroldis Chapman is also scheduled to pitch.

Russell Wilson left camp today but gave the players signed NFL footballs before his departure. Even though I am not a Seahawks fan, I knew that Wilson was a great guy. But his time in Training Camp and his words left me with the greater perception that his character exceeds his talent, which is no small task. I remain convinced that his time at Steinbrenner Field was a worthwhile experience although he struck out in his lone at-bat. His winning attitude and desire to be great is infectious. I think the Yankees players learned a great deal from the champion QB.  

Clint Frazier was held out from workouts on Saturday but, fortunately, his MRI on Friday came back clean. He’ll meet with a doctor today. Hopefully this not more serious than it appears to be and he’ll be back on the field in the not-so-distant future. Jacoby Ellsbury remains sidelined with the right oblique strain which is fine. That’s certainly one injury you don’t want to rush given the risk of further setback if you try to come back too soon.  

Recent photos of Chase Headley and Dustin Fowler are the latest evidence the Yankees should revisit their facial hair policy.  I am not a fan of the wild Justin Turner look, but cleanly groomed beards should be acceptable.

Bryan Mitchell, yet another example...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Matt Kartozian)

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com has a very nice write up this morning about my favorite Yankees pitching prospect (with no offense to Justus Sheffield or Chance Adams). Albert Abreu, recovering from recent emergency appendectomy surgery, should be able to resume his throwing program soon. It will be fun to watch this very talented right-hander continue his ascent through the Yankees farm system.  I am a huge Abreu fan and I look forward to the day he takes the mound at Yankee Stadium.

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Elsa)

Go Yankees!

The Spring Game That Does Matter...

Photo Credit: Associated Press (David Goldman)

The Rivalry Continues…

Today is the first meeting of the Boston Red Sox and your New York Yankees. Of course, it’s just a meaningless exhibition game but there’s no doubt all of us, without exception, want to beat the hated Red Sox. We’ll have to do it without the Big Boppers as neither Aaron Judge nor Giancarlo Stanton will provide a preview of what they intend to do to Red Sox pitching.

Here is the scheduled lineup for today's game at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, FL:

Aaron Hicks, CF

Greg Bird, 1B

Brandon Drury, 3B

Didi Gregorius, SS

Gleyber Torres, 2B

Danny Espinosa, DH

Austin Romine, C

Billy McKinney, RF

Jake Cave, LF

The starting pitcher will be Chance Adams, making his second Spring start.

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Kim Klement)

For the Red Sox, they won’t be giving the Yankees an advance look at J.D. Martinez as he, like Judge and Stanton, will take the bench. Pitching for the Red Sox will be left-hander Brian Johnson who is the favorite to win the fifth spot in the Red Sox rotation at the start of the year, thanks to the injuries to Steven Wright and Eduardo Rodriguez.  

The Yankees signed free agent first baseman Adam Lind on Friday to a minor league deal with an invitation to training camp. The deal includes an opt-out at the end of training camp if he is not on the Major League roster. The backup first base job appears to be Tyler Austin’s to lose. It’s hard to envision Lind making the team unless the Yankees do not trust Austin as the primary support for Greg Bird (or if Austin gets hurts, which is within the realm of possibility). Lind did have surprisingly good numbers for the Washington Nationals last year when he batted .303/.362/.513 with .875 OPS in 301 plate appearances. Four of his 14 home runs were pinch-hits. He is a career .272/.330/.465 (.795 OPS) hitter with 200 home runs. Lind, 34, came up in the Toronto Blue Jays organization and played for them through the 2014 season. Since then, he’s had a new team each year. Milwaukee Brewers (2015), Seattle Mariners (2016) and the Nationals (2017).  

Photo Credit: Associated Press (Alex Brandon)

Austin answered Lind’s signing with a walk-off home run to beat the Atlanta Braves on Friday afternoon. Apparently he borrowed a page from Miguel Andujar’s playbook for rules of engagement with the competition at your position.  

My guess is that Austin makes the team and Lind opts out to sign a MLB deal with another team to be their backup first baseman. I don’t see the Austin to Triple A and Lind on the Opening Day roster scenario. One or the other will be part of the organization and the other will not, in my opinion.

Jacoby Ellsbury has a nagging injury. Great. The DL King has been diagnosed with a mild  right oblique strain. If it was Ellsbury’s intent to beat out Aaron Hicks for the starting center field job, he’s not off to a good start. Honestly, the Yankees should bite the bullet after the season is over. There will be $47.3 million left on his contract, but at that point, it will be time to cut bait. It’s too bad that Brian Cashman was unable to find a taker, even with the willingness to pay a significant portion of what’s left on Ellsbury’s deal. I agree with Cashman’s assessment that Ellsbury remains an above-average player when healthy but those last two words become more dicey with each passing year.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Tom Szczerbowski)

Ellsbury’s “backup”, outfielder Clint Frazier, is struggling with his own problems. He continues to be troubled by headaches associated with a concussion he suffered earlier in the Spring. The Yankees had been trying to increase his workload but Thursday’s workout led to sending Frazier for a MRI on Friday. He whacked his head against the wall in left field at LECOM Park in Bradenton, FL last Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hopefully this is not a setback and Frazier continues his path toward good health.  I know I'd rather go to war with Red Thunder over Ellsbury.

It creates a potential opening for either Jake Cave or Billy McKinney to make noise although it is likely that Ellsbury will be ready for Opening Day.

I try not to get too caught up in Spring stats but I have to admit that, physically, Jordan Montgomery looks great. He doesn’t quite have the ‘Gumby' look from last year and his face seems more mature. He pitched three innings yesterday in the win over the Braves, striking out five batters. He gave up two hits, but did not allow any runs.  All 22 of his pitches were in the strike zone. The 25-year-old appears capable of showing that he is not the starting rotation’s weakest link.  

Now, let’s beat those friggin’ Red Sox. Go Yankees!

Pondering Thoughts of Opening Day...

“Did Andujar hit another home run?”…

There’s no doubt it is fun to watch Miguel Andujar hit home runs in nearly every at bat (so it seems). But…c’mon, it is Spring Training. I put as much stock in Andujar’s home runs as I do the fact that neither Aaron Judge nor Giancarlo Stanton have gone yard. It is very early and the hurlers are still working on their pitches and not necessarily using strategy or attacking hitters like they would in the regular season. Plus, many of the Spring pitchers are guys who will never see a MLB roster in 2018 (if ever). In other words, keep expectations in check. When it is 'Show Time', you know Judge, Stanton and Sanchez will be leading the homer parade. 

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Kim Klement)

Since many are starting to project Opening Day lineups (not batting order), I’ll toss in my own.

C-Gary Sanchez

1B-Greg Bird

2B-Tyler Wade (although I could buy into Danny Espinosa for the short term)

SS-Didi Gregorius

3B-Brandon Drury

LF-Brett Gardner

CF-Aaron Hicks

RF-Aaron Judge

DH-Giancarlo Stanton

These are safe choices, I know, but decisions I fully expect Manager Aaron Boone to roll with on March 29th. If Gleyber Torres shows that he is ready by the end of the month, then I think he breaks camp with the Yankees as the starting second baseman. Otherwise, he’ll begin the season in Triple A to fine tune his game. I’ve become convinced that service time will not factor into the decision. The Yankees want to field the team that gives them the best chance for success from the very first game of the season. When Gleyber is ready, he is the man at the second. For me, he’s the most exciting talent at the position since Dontcha Know Robinson Cano.

Photo Credit: Newsday (Thomas A Ferrara)

I feel confident, at this point, that the Opening Day roster will feature 25 guys currently in camp with the Yankees (either on the roster in or in camp as a non-roster invitee). In other words, I do not see any further trade activity or free agent signings before the start of the regular season. The Yankees have a huge advantage over the Boston Red Sox in terms of in-season flexibility. Boston is maxed out on payroll and they have a weak farm system. There will be no major acquisitions by the Red Sox at the trading deadline or at least it will be very difficult for them to maneuver the roster. The Yankees, on the other hand, have the ability to make huge moves dependent upon need, with salary room and the cupboards overflowing with prospects. The Yankees have the talent, today, to hang with the Red Sox, if not potentially creating separation from them in the AL East Standings. Identifying mid-season weaknesses and seeking impact upgrades should allow the Yankees to explode past the Red Sox if all goes according to plan (which, of course, it  almost never does). Nevertheless, with all things considered, I’ll take my chances with the Yankees against the Beantown Bunch.  The Yankees will 'step on their necks' as Hanley Ramirez would say.  

If I was Orioles GM Dan Duquette, I’d be on the phone to Brian Cashman. “Say Brian, I’ve been watching that Andujar kid.  You still interested in Manny?”. I know that Orioles owner Peter Angelos hates the Yankees but a chance to grab a young third baseman with a lethal bat and perhaps a top pitching prospect, among others, for a guy that will wear the Orioles uniform for the final time on Sunday, September 30, 2018 against the Houston Astros at Camden Yards (barring a trade by the deadline) makes good sense to me. 

While I think the Yankees will spend to sign (or if they successfully trade for him, re-sign) Manny Machado, I do not expect a big splash in the 2018-19 free agent market. I’ve seen some suggest that the Yankees will sign both Machado and Bryce Harper. Get real. That’s not happening. The Yankees have a large chunk of the roster comprised of pre-arbitration guys who are still making minimum wage or barely over. This list includes (in alphabetical order):

Miguel Andujar

Tyler Austin

Greg Bird

Luis Cessa

Brandon Drury

Clint Frazier

Giovanny Gallegos

Domingo German

Chad Green

Ben Heller

Aaron Judge

Jordan Montgomery

Gary Sanchez

Luis Severino

Gleyber Torres

Ronald Torreyes

Tyler Wade

You could cut this list down to just Greg Bird, Chad Green, Aaron Judge, Jordan Montgomery, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino. That’s six players who will see significant increases in their pay over the coming years as they enter into arbitration. This is on top of the current arbitration players like Didi Gregorius and Sonny Gray who will command top dollars on the open market in the not-so-distant future. If Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner has taught us anything, he is not going to be frivolous with money. I can’t see committing Giancarlo Stanton-like money (or more) to outside free agents when the Yankees will have to pay their own young stars one day. I am more excited about the prospect of Estevan Florial eventually becoming the starting center fielder than the possibility of spending a half-billion dollars to bring Bryce Harper to the Bronx. Don’t get me wrong…I love Harper…but I think he is an excess luxury for a team with so many young talented hitters. I would rather see the dollars invested in upgrading the starting pitching and retaining our young superstars.

I don’t envy Aaron Boone for the decision he’ll have to make at third base. As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I am watching their off-season with interest since the team does not have a quarterback signed beyond the young unproven and untested Kyle Sloter. The big question is whether the Vikings will try to re-sign free agents Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater or Case Keenum, or attempt to go after a big fish like Kirk Cousins. While I’d like Cousins on my team, I recognize the team needs to re-sign its own young stars. This is not unlike the Yankees. Yesterday, Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer, talking about the QB situation, said that the team has to make the right call for its next QB. Otherwise, it could cost him his job. I don’t think the third base competition between Brandon Drury and Miguel Andujar will cost Boonie his job, but Sports is big business. The financial considerations have to make as much sense as the ability of the players. So, my philosophy for free agency is the same in the NFL as it is in the MLB, “take care of your own”. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be new guys or that we shouldn’t get rid of guys who are simply filling a roster space. I just want to see the ‘tried and true’ players get their due.

Photo Credit: MLB.com

One final note: I would like to see more Domingo German and less Luis Cessa, please.

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports (Kim Klement)

Go Yankees!

The Hype Surrounding Miguel Andujar's Spring Training

In case you didn't see, since the team acquired Brandon Drury I've been pushing for the Yankees to start Drury at second base while rookie Miguel Andujar plays third. From everything I've read on Andujar it's clear to me that he should be in the Majors to start this season.

In 2017 Miguel destroyed opposing pitching at every level. He started the year in AA and hit .312/.342/.494 in 67 games, then he was promoted to AAA and hit .317/.364/.502 in 58 games, and even got four hits (two doubles) in seven at bats for the Yankees at the end of the regular season.

While there's no doubt that his bat is ready for the Majors, many have pointed out that his glove could use a little more work. Which makes many others say Miguel should go to AAA to work on that defense before coming to MLB.

So if Drury were to start at third base on Opening Day, what options are there for second base? And are those options better than allowing Andujar to work on his defense in the show?

Tyler Wade's debut in the Majors last season did not go very well. He hit .155/.222/.224 in 58 at bats. That's not a huge sample size by any means, so that batting line does not tell the story. Tyler actually killed it in AAA last season batting .310/.382/.460. Mind you, that was a bit of an outlier to the rest of his minor league career (he hit .249/.331/.333 in 618 at bats in AA). 

Ronald Torreyes made a lot of fans in 2017 after hitting .292/.314/.375 in 314 at bats, not to mention his interviews after teammates would hit home runs. And let's not forget that Ronald is only 25, so he has yet to settle in, meaning 2017 may have been a peak at what he could offer the team in 2018 and beyond.

While he is the least likely to start at second base, or anywhere else, on Opening Day for the Yankees, Jace Peterson is an option. He's actually appeared in six of the teams seven Spring Training games, which tells me the Yankees are giving him a serious shot at making the team. However the 28 year-old is coming off the worst MLB season of his career (69 OPS+), and was a little below average in his previous two seasons in the Majors. In my opinion, Jace would only be the Opening Day starter if the team really didn't want Andujar to start the year in MLB, and both Wade and Torreyes were hurt.

So Miguel Andujar has a serious shot at making the Yankees out of Spring Training. However, I wanted to point out that the hype surrounding the guy right now is getting a bit out of hand. 

On the surface, having four home runs already in Spring Training is pretty awesome. But that's just it.. that's the surface. If you look a little deeper you might temper those expectations a bit.

Take a look at the four pitchers he's hit homers off of...

Ranger Suarez 

-Until this season Suarez has never thrown a pitch above A ball. He's also never appeared on the Phillies organizational top 30 prospect list according to Baseball America. 

Justin Shafer

-Until last season Shafer had not thrown a single pitch above A ball. While he hasn't been "bad" in the minors, his overall ERA of 4.84 is not worth getting too excited about. Oh, and like Suarez, he's never appeared in the Blue Jays' Top 30 prospects.

Nick Pivetta 

-Nick made his MLB debut last season, and tossed 133 innings. Unfortunately they weren't good ones, as his ERA of 6.02 shows. To be fair he was pretty darn good in five starts in AAA before being promoted to the big leagues last season (1.41 ERA), and had an overall minor league ERA of 3.57. And while he did crack the organizational prospect top 10 list for the Braves, that was back in 2014. 

Pedro Beato 

-After debuting in MLB in 2011, Pedro has only thrown 27 innings with the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, and just .2 innings last season for the Phillies. He actually didn't throw a single pitch in MLB in 2015 and 2016, as he was in the minors for the Orioles. His career ERA in MLB is 4.31, and at age 31 I don't think he's a good candidate to get better.

So let's just dial down the hype surrounding Miguel Andujar a little bit. Like I said... I still believe he should start at third base on Opening Day, while Brandon Drury starts at second, but I don't think it would be the worst thing in the World if he began the season in Scranton. 

Another way to early lineup

Howdy Folks Jay here getting ready for my 1st Full season here at the Greedy Pinstripes. I can not wait. Lately have been very busy with life and work, and have done a few short posts. This one will be no different :( as it’s 1:45 am. However just thought of a new look lineup based off the way to early spring training. Because of the time there won’t be anything explained like the last post but hope to hear your thoughts. Sorry In advance to Mr. Hicks. My Thoughts Subject To Change.  

1. Brett Gardner CF 

2. Aaron Judge RF/LF 

3. Greg Bird 1B

4. Giancarlo Stanton RF 

5. Gary Sanchez C

6. Sir Didi SS 

7. Miguel Andujar 3B 

8. Brandon Drury DH/Inf 

9. Gleyber Torres 2B 

James C. Palma is a writer for the Greedy Pinstripes an can be reached at JamesCPalma@gmail dot com