The New York Yankees are looking for a place to play Miguel Andujar after he lost his third base job. First up is the outfield.
Spring training is almost here, which means most of the New York Yankees‘ players are already down in Florida working on their game. Miguel Andujar is no different.
Coming back from a serious injury Andujar is looking for a place to play. He lost his job at third base when Gio Urshela broke out in 2019, leaving him without a home defensively. In response, the Yankees promised to work him out at first base and in the outfield.
The work in the outfield has already begun.
And your second look… @MAndujarPapa pic.twitter.com/df0OxPAyWN
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 7, 2020
One more video of Miguel Andujar in the outfield: pic.twitter.com/zQC6MKmkor
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) February 7, 2020
It’s hard to tell from this angle how well Andujar is reading the ball. He seems to be struggling in the first video when he takes a while to break and then hesitates at one point, but gets to the ball.
The second video he’s better, but still has a later jump then one would probably want based on where he catches the ball.
In the last video, he looks much more comfortable, but it’s a pop fly. He should look comfortable catching a pop fly, it’s the easiest play in the outfield.
Some have questions about whether or not Andujar has the athleticism to play in the outfield. As a prospect, he was given a 40 or 45 for his speed tool depending on the scout. He’s been faster at the major league level.
In 2019, Andujar’s top sprint speed was 28.1 MPH. That’s equivalent to Bryan Reynolds, Randal Grichuk and David Dahl. He was faster than guys like Ketel Marte and Mike Tauchman.
He was a bit slower in 2018 with a top speed of 27.8 MPH. Even that would be acceptable. That was equivalent to Marcell Ozuna, Giancarlo Stanton, Corey Dickerson and Gregory Polanco.
It’s clear that Andujar has the speed to play the position. He isn’t going to be out there playing CF with his speed, but it should be adequate for LF. The biggest issue is his reaction time.
Andujar showcased less-than-stellar reaction at third base. It made him one of the worst defensive 3B in baseball, in 2018. That will only be worse in the outfield. Some outfielders can make up for that lack of reaction-type athleticism with their speed; Andujar can’t.
It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to playing in the outfield as spring training wears on. It could be his ticket back onto the field.
