Yankees 3B Miguel Andujar’s spring might lead to the fall of Didi Gregorius
By Cory Claus
Walking Tall
From the moment he showed up in camp, Andujar stood out.
Not all the best athletes are the biggest and strongest and the race isn’t always to the swiftest, but that’s where the smart money is. Watching some young Yankees go in and out of the training facility, you could handicap the odds of success based on how big each player was.
But Andujar looked like a man among boys.
And he has been showing that in these early games. On Monday, he preserved the Yankees meaningless win streak by hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. This after hitting a double in his previous at-bat.
Not to be outdone by himself, he showed up the next day and hit yet another home run.
At this pace, he might just reverse his home run and doubles totals from last season. However, that doesn’t mean he will do all of that in the Bronx.
It is very possible that he starts the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but finishes in New York. Unless his footwork never finds its rythm, Andujar seems likely to win the third baseman’s job at some point this year and be ensconced in the position by next year’s Spring Training.
That would fit quite snugly into Brian Cashman’s plans.
That’s good news for Andujar. And for the Yankees. But it is probably a bad sign for SS Didi Gregorius.