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New York Yankees Editorial: Has Didi Gregorius Blossomed Into The Next Yankee Shortstop?

By Harrison Marder

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To say I was unhappy when the New York Yankees acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius in a three-team trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers last December may be the epitome of an understatement.

Truthfully, I was livid.

How could the Yankees do this? I had never even heard of Gregorius prior to the trade, and now he was slated to take over for my boyhood idol and hero, Derek Jeter.

I use the phrase “take over” because no one will ever replace Derek Jeter. Jeter is an icon, a legend and an entity all his own. The phrase “replacing Derek Jeter” is an oxymoron.

Getting back to Gregorius, my disdain regarding his arrival in New York was centered around the desire I had for the Yankees to bring in a household name to take over for Jeter. I wanted the Yankees to do anything and everything they could to make Troy Tulowitzki their next shortstop.

On paper, making Tulo a Yankee seemed like a perfect fit. He wore the number two because of Jeter, and even made a trip to Yankee Stadium to watch Jeter play during his final season. It seemed like Tulowitzki was destined to be in pinstripes.

Much to my dismay, the Yankees front office did not agree with my way of thinking. Instead, they brought in Gregorius, a 24-year-old at the time, to play shortstop in 2015.

Gregorius was advertised as a developing talent who was strong with the glove, but weak with the bat. In 2014 with the Diamondbacks, Gregorius hit just .224 in 80 games. His OBP was also an underwhelming .290 that year. Those are not numbers that necessarily jump off the page.

Despite his lackluster offensive statistics, Gregorius was the Yankees opening day starter at shortstop. However, his first few games as a Bronx Bomber certainly did not go the way he had hoped.

In April, Gregorius hit just .206 with an OBP of .261. While some may have anticipated Gregorius’ slow start at the plate, almost no one expected him to struggle in the field, or on the bases. Supposedly the strong points of his game, Gregorius made a number of head scratching mistakes defensively, as well as on the base paths.

May 23, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius (18) heads for the dugout after an out in the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

During his first few months as Yankee Gregorius looked lost. He did not look like a player who should be a starter in the Majors, let alone deserving of a roster spot on a big league club. The mistakes Gregorius made were unacceptable, and a majority of Yankees fans, myself included, were clamoring for the team to get rid of him.

Perhaps the pressure of playing in New York was too much for Gregorius. It seemed as though taking over for Jeter was a task he simply could not accomplish.

Then, the calendar flipped to July. Gregorius hit .317 that month, with a .360 OBP and 13 RBIs. All of those numbers were the best that he had put up in a single month since joining the Yankees. It looked like Gregorius had finally found his rhythm.

He followed up a stellar July with an equally impressive August. Gregorius hit .310 during the dog days, with a .358 OBP and 14 RBIs. Yankees fans who were begging the team to drop Gregorius back in April were now beginning to sing his praises. Admittedly, I was one of those fans.

During that two month stretch, you could see Gregorius growing more confident every day. He seemed more comfortable not only at the plate, but also in the field. Instead of making silly errors, he was making stellar plays on balls hit in the hole, showcasing his incredibly strong throwing arm.

Gone were the days of the timid Gregorius who made baffling baserunning blunders. Now, Yankees fans were seeing a player who was a key cog in the success of his team, rather than a detriment to it.

Quite simply, Gregorius’ season can be described as a tale of two halves. Prior to the All-Star break, he was a .238 hitter with four home runs and 19 RBI’s. Since the All-Star break, Gregorius is hitting .302 with five home runs and 35 RBIs.

Gregorius’ resurgent second half, coupled with his newly acquired confident demeanor, have certainly made me a believer in his abilities. While I am still not convinced Gregorius is the long-term answer for the Yankees at shortstop, I certainly feel comfortable with him as the team’s every day shortstop for the immediate future.

Like I said, no one is ever going to replace Jeter. Nevertheless, Gregorius has shown that he has the ability to take over for Jeter now that he is retired. It is safe to say that I have successfully transformed from a Gregorius hater into a Gregorius supporter, something I never would have thought possible back in December.

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