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Yankees Editorial: Can Brian Cashman Be Serious About Stephen Drew?

By Billy Brost

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Perhaps fans of the New York Yankees should have some cause for concern now. When the team brought back free agent infielder Stephen Drew, fans were in an absolute uproar, given the fact that only a year prior, GM Brian Cashman allowed Robinson Cano to walk away, and in his place, a band of misfits failed to replicate his performance during the 2014 season. The Yankees after all, were heading into 2015 with a new approach, younger, cheaper, attempt to remain competitive while shedding the dead weight per se. 

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Sure, the Yankees still have a ton of money and bad contracts on the books, not to mention rapidly-aging former stars who are all well past their respective primes, but why bring Drew back? For once, the Yankees appeared to have a youthful pair of answers at second base. At best, Drew should’ve been fighting fellow reserve infielder Brendan Ryan for a spot on the 25-man roster, while rookies Jose Pirela and highly-touted Rob Refsnyder battled to win the starting second base job in Tampa.

Yes, it is most definitely time to sound the alarm. Brian Cashman, instead of going with youth, by pairing either Pirela or Refsnyder alongside Didi Gregorius at shortstop, stated in a phone conversation with Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News, that he envisions Drew as “hopefully our everyday second baseman.”

Excuse me what? Did Brian Cashman really just say that? He also says that he tends to believe in “the back of the baseball card”. If that’s the case, then why in the hell is Stephen Drew back in pinstripes? It’s not as if he’s had a strong and steady major league career. So let’s take Brian Cashman up on his statement and look at the back of the proverbial baseball card.

One-third of Drew’s big league career, he’s hit UNDER .240. In four seasons of his nine in the bigs, he’s failed to reach double-digit home runs. Drew has only driven in 67 runs twice–and those two season’s tie a career high. And oh yes, the durability issue. Only THREE times in his career, has Stephen Drew played in 150 games or more. He has a triple slash line of .256/.322/.425–a far cry from elite big league, former first round draft selection status. Suffice to say, he’s been a bust.

Stephen Drew is injury-prone, he’s failed to hit consistently at the big league level, and HE’S NOT A SECOND BASEMAN! He has 34 career games at second base, and he’s on the wrong side of 30. At second base, he’s not an elite defender, committing four errors in 136 chances. Brian Cashman “hopes” he’s the starting second baseman? Need I remind anyone, that Cashman is the same guy that thought Tony Womack, Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson were all good ideas at second base at one time or another?

Does Brian Cashman forget, that a third-straight season of Octoberless baseball because of bone-headed moves like this, should cost him his job? I would completely understand this move if the Yankees had a black hole at second base, no strong prospects on the verge of being big league-ready, but that isn’t the case. Not only are Pirela and Refsnyder ready, Cashman is stunting the development of Pirela at best, both players at worst. Refsnyder, as this staff has always said, most likely needs a full season of playing second base at Triple-A in 2015 to be ready to take over in 2016.

But what about Pirela? The guy was no joke during his cup of coffee last September. Make no mistake, he wasn’t Shane Spencer or the second coming of Kevin Maas, but he performed well enough to EARN that shot this spring. In 25 whole plate appearances, Pirela hit for a .333/.360/.542 triple slash line. He had a double, a pair of triples and scored six runs. If anything, Cashman should’ve let Pirela develop, showcase his talents, and when Refsnyder was ready, use Pirela to get whatever other parts the team might need to compete. Instead there is now a logjam at Triple-A, with Pirela most likely sharing time at second with Ref, first base with Kyle Roller, and wherever else he might see time.

And don’t forget about Cuban defector Hector Olivera, whom the Yankees have been rumored to be highly interested in as well. What if he falls in their lap? According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, Olivera is big league-ready now, and has pop in his bat, despite missing one entire season due to a blood disorder. All giving Stephen Drew the starting job has done, is cause long term problems, for a player who shouldn’t be a part of the team’s present, let alone allowing his presence on the field to directly affect the future of the Yankees’ second base prospects.

Next: Rob Refsnyder Ranked 7th Best Second Base Prospect

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