New York Yankees: Miguel Andujar gets the call

Another Baby Bomber has reached the Bronx. One day after Tyler Wade debuted for the Yankees, fellow prospect Miguel Andujar joins him in the New York clubhouse.

The 22-year-old’s arrival signaled a DL trip for veteran Matt Holliday as he fights the mystery ailment that has kept him out of the lineup since Sunday. Despite the loss, Yankees fans likely won’t complain about seeing another one of their highly touted talents moved up—and Miguel Andujar, needless to say, was thrilled about the opportunity.

Some may lament, assuming Gleyber Torres would have received the call today had he been healthy. But Andujar was already on New York’s 40-man roster, unlike Torres, meaning he would have likely been promoted over the mega-prospect anyway. So with that said, what can we expect from the young third baseman?

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Honestly, not too much. If things go right, Andujar’s stay in the major leagues will be a brief one while Holliday takes a week or so to shake off his illness. Andujar needs more minor-league seasoning: He was essentially brought up straight from Double-A, only logging seven games in Triple-A Scranton before getting the call from New York. (He moved up after Torres’ injury earlier this month.) Nevertheless, Andujar is the Yankees’ No. 9 prospect and received a $750,000 bonus to sign out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old, so it’s worth keeping an eye on him.

Andujar’s ceiling is actually higher than Tyler Wade’s, though the latter is more likely to stick with the big-league club this year. While Wade’s upside derives from his slick fielding, speed and versatility, Andujar offers raw power in both his bat and arm. The power numbers aren’t eye-popping (eight homers so far this season in the minors), but Andujar has given the Yankees a glimpse of his potential before.

More encouraging is the fact that Andujar was hitting .312 in Double-A Trenton this year, and he also maintained a .308 average during his short stint in Scranton. He led the Eastern League (AA) in RBI before his call-up and still holds the lead in doubles. As long as Andujar keeps hitting, the power can develop down the line—or so the logic goes.

But the prospect’s true top tool is his howitzer of a right arm. Minor league fielding highlights aren’t easy to dig up on YouTube, but this is the best example I could find:

MLB.com rated Andujar’s arm strength as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. For perspective, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez both had their power rated at 60 (Andujar’s is rated at 55). In terms of prospect evaluation, Andujar’s arm is rated on par with Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton—not bad company.

Unfortunately, a strong arm is likely the least valuable tool out of the traditional big five: hitting, power, speed, fielding and arm strength. If Andujar wants to stick around in the big leagues to utilize his cannon, he’ll have to hit. He’s flashed plenty of ability at the plate early on, however, and time will tell if he can maintain a high level as he moves up the ladder.

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As yet another talented prospect makes his way to New York, the hype continues to rise for Yankees fans. Andujar likely won’t be around for long, but like Wade, he might endear himself to Yankee Stadium before heading back to Scranton. And another piece of the new pinstriped dynasty might just fall into place.