New York Yankees legend Paul O’Neill supports Miguel Andujar’s starting status
By Cory Claus
The New York Yankees have better problems to solve now than they did when the season began. And no topic is being more hotly debated out there in Yankees Universe than who should start starting at third, Miguel Andujar or Brandon Drury.
When the New York Yankees season started, they suddenly seemed to need players everywhere they looked. The infield, the outfield, the relieving corps…sometimes it seemed they could barely field a team.
Those days are mostly behind them. Players such as Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks have solidified positions and stabilized the depth chart. Now the Yankees are having rich-people problems, meaning in this case too many players.
Greg Bird is likely to be back before the calendar changes again, and Clint Frazier is starting to hit home runs. And don’t discount the recent promotion of Thairo Estrada to Triple-A, and the upward pressure he will soon apply.
Third Time is a Charm
But of course, no bag is being more closely watched than that of third: Miguel Andujar or Brandon Drury? People are lined up on both sides of this, and there are plenty of good arguments to go around.
There are those, like your faithful scribe here, who think it unwise and imprudent to move Miguel Andujar off the base.
In brief, Miguel Andujar has been an excellent prospect for at least the last two years and is currently ranked 63rd. The combination of his slash (.289/.302/.566), three home runs, and AL leading 12 doubles make him look like a great prospect already adapting to major league pitching.
And his much-debated fielding is already better than people realize. Miguel Andujar currently holds a .950 Fielding Percentage (FP) and has committed two errors in 18 games in the field.
That’s better than Rafael Devers of Boston with his .937 FP and five errors in 26 games. And the Cubbies’ Kris Bryant (.922/five errors in 19 games). He might not be as good as the Astro’s Alex Bregman and his .962, but even he has three errors in 29 games.
Miguel Andujar is indeed a major league defender.