Yankees: Is Aaron Hicks Really Going to Win Right Field Job?

No one could have possibly seen this coming before Spring Training, but it honestly looks like Aaron Hicks could beat out Aaron Judge for the Yankees starting right field job.

On the same day that the Yankees reassigned promising young shortstop Tyler Wade to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (presumably because the club didn’t want to open a 40-man roster spot), it appears another part of the rebuild could be headed down to the farm.

On Wednesday morning, Joe Girardi briefly spoke to the media about the two Aaron’s battling it out for the right to be the club’s starting right fielder.

According to Bryan Hoch, when Girardi was asked about the possibility of Judge beginning the season in the minors, he replied:

"“He [Judge] needs to play, that’s the bottom line.”"

While I totally agree that it is more advantageous for a player to receive regular playing time in the early stages of his career — if Judge were to be sent down, it would be his third season at Triple-A.

Alex Rodriguez recently stated that a team needs to see 600 at-bats from their youngsters to decide if they are legit, before making any career-altering decisions.

If that’s the case, Judge has already accumulated 1297 minor league at-bats in three seasons — batting .287/.373/.473 with 56 home runs and 215 RBI. Yes, he’s struck out 373 times as opposed to 178 walks — but K’s are traditionally part of a power hitters game.

More from Yankees News

This Spring Training, Judge has shown an ability to hit for much more contact — striking out only 12 times in 66 plate appearance. That’s a 19.6% whiff rate, as compared to last season’s 44%.

The rest of his numbers this spring are equally solid — .327/.393/.564 with three home runs and five RBI in 22 games. What more would Judge need to do make the Major League club?

For me, this is one of the many frustrating pieces of the rebuild we find ourselves in. It’s not a blow it up and start over type remake. Instead, what the Yankees front office is saying is that they’re committed to remaking the organization, beginning with the minor league system — but aren’t exactly sure as to when they’ll be ready to play the kids.

This seems counter productive to all the wonderful moves general manager Brian Cashman began making last season. A plan of succession for these young stars needs to be in place — otherwise, more harm than good will be done.

Just take what Girardi said to the New York Daily News about the possible repercussions of a demotion, for a guy like Judge.

"“It’s part of the game. It’s never easy. It’s tough on them,” Girardi said of the possibility that Judge’s confidence could take a hit if he gets sent down despite his improvement at the plate. “It’s tough on me. It’s tough on our staff because we pull for these guys so much.”"

I understand that Judge has minor league options remaining and Hicks doesn’t. I get that Hicks plays outstanding defense and Judge’s is slightly above average. I know Hicks has had a good camp (.275/.362/.546 with three home runs and seven RBI), but Judge’s has been better.

I also watched Hicks struggle mightily as a part-time player in ’16, so I understand the Yankees wanting to see what he’s capable of in an everyday capacity before cutting him loose.

But at the expense of Judge, I don’t agree. That’s why the Yankees should have dealt Brett Gardner this winter — to open up a roster spot while also getting something useful in return for the reigning Gold Glove winner — before he loses any more value. For whatever the reason, Cashman didn’t like any of the proposals that came his way. That’s not how a rebuild works.

Next: A-Rod Compares Bird to Mattingly

So now the Yankees have a major dilemma on their hands. Will they risk stunting Judge’s growth by sending him down to compete against lesser quality competition? It’s a risky proposition.

Home/Yankees News