New York Yankees: Ways to utilize Jacoby Ellsbury in 2018

Despite not putting up monstrous numbers anymore, Jacoby Ellsbury still boasts some value for the Yankees. He won’t likely be an everyday starter, but he can still be used in some instances.

Long-term contracts in the MLB rarely turn out to be fruitful throughout their entirety. However, that doesn’t deter organizations from handing them out to the league’s most talented stars.

When the Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury to a seven-year, $153 million deal, they expected the speedster to continue his All-Star career in the Bronx. Surely general manager Brian Cashman didn’t expect his numbers to deplete this rapidly.

Ellsbury clearly will never recreate the storied seasons he put together in Boston. Yet, he still possesses some value in New York. And considering that the Yankees are still paying him for a more seasons, they need to squeeze everything they can from the aging outfielder.

Even at his age, Ellsbury still possesses more speed than a significant amount of players in the MLB. While some teams have said sayonara to the steal, the Yankees can still use it to their advantage.

The 34-year-old may not rank amongst the league’s speedsters, but he’s still swiped at least 20 bags in his previous four seasons. Despite playing in nearly 200 fewer games than he had in each of the past three years, he tallied 22 in 2017. That was second on the Yankees, just one behind Brett Gardner.

New York ranked 12th in the league in stolen bases, even though the club had the best stolen base percentage in the league. While the Yankees are known for their home run power, there will always be instances in which a stolen base can alter the course of the game.

That’s just one case in which Ellsbury can be used.

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The club boasts a handful of serviceable outfielders. Newly appointed manager Aaron Boone can plug in Ellsbury when one of the starting three need a breather, whether it be Judge, Gardner or Frazier/Hicks.

He may be unreliable against most left-handers, but he can still put up decent numbers against righties. The left-handed hitter hit .268 across the previous three seasons with an OPS of .734. His strikeout percentage rose slightly since his move to the Bronx, but he still draws walks as well.

And Ellsbury was arguably much better in 2017 than in both 2015 and 2016. Fans shouldn’t expect him to make any sort of All-Star contribution, but he should still be considered an X-factor heading into Spring Training.

He may never be worth $21 million a year, and maybe he never was worth that much since he turned to the Yankees. But he can still contribute somehow, and the team needs to utilize him in any way it can.

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Well, or buy out his contract like the front office did with Alex Rodriguez.