Yankees Rookie Tyler Austin Showing Signs of Turnaround

New York Yankees rookie first baseman Tyler Austin is showing signs of life at the plate following an extended slump.

While Aaron Judge has gotten the most attention for the rocky start to his MLB career, fellow New York Yankees rookie Tyler Austin has looked just as lost in recent weeks.

The pair made headlines and history when they became the first teammates ever to homer back-to-back in their first big league at-bats, but neither has been able to live up to the high expectations set by their exciting debut since then.

Judge’s slump continued in Monday’s 5-3 Yankees victory over the AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays. The 24-year-old behemoth went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, lowering his batting line on the season to .169/.247/.338 with 35 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances. 

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Austin on the other hand may be beginning to heat up. He had two doubles in Monday’s win, including a two-out, two RBI shot off the wall in the fourth inning to extend the Yankees lead to 5-1. Those runs ended up being the difference maker as the team hung on for a rare victory over the mighty Blue Jays.

In addition, Austin was 1-for-4 with a run scored in Sunday’s big 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. With Mark Teixeira still dealing with the knee injury that has plagued him all season, Austin has made the most of his last two starts at first base.

When speaking to Dan Martin of the New York Post, Austin sounded much more confident about being in the big leagues, telling him, “I’m not intimidated by these guys anymore. I think that’s the big thing.”

He went on to say, “I’m just trying to be confident in the box. I believe I can get the job done.” Before the last two games, Austin had gone through a 3-for-29 stretch. His doubles Monday were his first extra base hits since homering in his first at-bat.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi was also complimentary about Austin’s performance following the game, telling reporters:

"He’s swung the bat a little bit better lately. He’s a kid that can help us in different areas and had an outstanding minor league season."

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Tyler Austin is expected to compete with the injured Greg Bird for the starting first base job in 2017. A strong finish to the season would certainly help his case.