Yankees hope table setters such as Gleyber Torres arrive for 2018

The Yankees have moved from a team of, if, to a team of, when. That last question cannot be answered, however, until Judge and Stanton have teammates to drive in.

The Yankees front office has to be ecstatic. Whatever plans they had for 2017 must have been eclipsed, as were the Red Sox as the presumptive favorites in the division.

Now, as every article that is not about Gerrit Cole can tell you, the team dreams of bigger things. And goals such as a division title, a deeper playoff run—even a World Series title—are all realistic, if not exactly written in the stars.

But for those plans to come to fruition, Cashman has to hope a few more prospects get ripe before the 2018 baseball season.

That’s partially true because of the price of Giancarlo Stanton: 2B Starlin Castro. The trade was without question a net gain for the Yankees, but, still, it was a trade-off. Castro was the only Yankee to hit at least .300 last season; next was part-timer Ronald Torreyes (.292).

The Price You Pay

Of course, OBP is the real stat line that delineates table setters. Here, Castro was only seventh (.338). That’s still better than Didi Gregorius (.318) and Torreyes (.314), though.

The bad news is who was above him.

Chase Headley was third on that list (.352); he has been returned to San Diego with a thanks for his service. Jacoby Ellsbury was fifth at .348. But it’ll be a bad day at black rock if Ellsbury gets another 356 at-bats this year.

And at four was forever Yankee Brett Gardner, with an even .350. That tied Brett for 60th in baseball. Plus, his age for the upcoming season—34—suggests a further diminution of his skills.

That still leaves two of the highest on-base guys in the majors on the roster. Giancarlo Stanton came in at number 23 with a .376, while Judge’s .422 made him third. Also, although he did not get enough AB’s to qualify for an official listing, Aaron Hicks ended with a .372.

Hicks, however, is still a maybe player, while Stanton and Judge can best serve the team by hitting home runs. With men on base, preferably. And these are the men that Cash hopes are on base in 2018.

1B Greg Bird

Bird had one of those rare seasons in which he proved both his supporters and detractors right, as Tim Tebow once had. Critics rightly point out how fragile Bird is; he appeared in only 48 games last year. Of course, that was a lot better than the zero games he played in two years ago.

But when he played, he was every bit the dynamic offensive player his boosters were confident he could be. His line in the postseason reads more like a seasoned veteran’s than a rookie’s: .250/.421/.500, with eleven hits in thirteen games, three home runs and six RBI’s.

And the reason the Yankees might move him up in the order is Gleyber Torres. Managers prefer but are not married to line-ups that alternate left and right-handed hitters.

That’s part of the reason Judge, the rightie, hit second after the left-handed Gardner.

But if the right-handed Torres does indeed take over the top spot, Boone might move leftie Bird in behind him. That sets up Judge batting third and, possibly, Stanton fourth. This is probably one of those times when talent trumps batting order, as Stanton also bats from the right side.

Livin’ In the Future

If the trend under Girardi continues, Didi would bat next from the left, followed by Gary Sanchez on the right. The idea of Sanchez, already the best power hitting backstop in baseball, batting sixth in any lineup says a lot about the power in that order.

But that all starts with Torres, and then Bird. And that all starts with health.

There is every reason to think Greg will have a full, healthy season. Just as there was last year. Yet, a hard to diagnose foot injury kept him hobbled until September. If Bird stays healthy and performs to his talent, the Yankees will have a lethal line-up.

If not, the first six hitters will feature too many righties, and Boone will have a lot of juggling to do. Or Gardy will be back at the top of the order, which is fine but not great.

The problem with some of this analysis is that there are two infield spots open, and too long to go before the end of Spring Training.

A free agent might be brought in, such as Todd Frazier or Eduardo Nunez. Or a Brandon Drury-type might be traded for. Even so, I will assume that Miguel Andujar will win the job at third base at some point this year.

3B Miguel Andujar

Andujar is known to have the best infield arm in the Yankees’ system. His defensive struggles of the past seemed to have stemmed from footwork and consistency. However, all reports suggest that Miguel has improved enough that defense no longer holds him back.

Perhaps the best evidence is that both Cash and Hal Steinbrenner have spoken openly about those improvements.

The two are normally stoic and reserved, knowing it is often a mistake to build up a rookie in New York. So when they go out of their way like that, they are saying they are satisfied and ready for him to play in the Bronx.

That doesn’t mean he enters SP with a job; it means he now has the skills to be considered for the job. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him at third on Opening Day.

There are those who think the Yankees would not start two rookies in the infield, but I think that is exactly the type of dynamic thinking Boonie brings to the table.

Reason to Believe

Miguel slashed .315/.352/.498 over two levels of the minors last year. And while his OBP is not high, he makes up for it with his average and slugging. A walk might be as good as a hit, but only if that hit is a single.

Andujar hit 36 doubles last year; had he spent his entire season at Scranton, he would have led this playoff team by seven.

He’s also a rightie, so it makes sense that switch-hitting Aaron Hicks would bat left after Yo Soy, followed by Miguel, leaving leftie Gardner at the bottom of the order, followed by rightie Torres back at the top.

And it is really the bottom of the order that holds the key to the season. When 2-3-4 in the line-up are all counted on to produce 100 RBI’s, they will need more than just the person batting in the number one spot to be on base.

That’s the dream, though; waking reality might not be so simple. Again, without knowing if any players will be brought in, here are the internal replacements and role players likely to make the difference between a division title and maybe staying home.

Austin and Frazier

Judge got 542 AB’s in 2017; primary backups Ronald Torreyes, Clint Frazier and Chris Carter got 643. The people who fill these roles in 2018 will clearly have a huge impact on the club’s fortunes.

I’m going to leave backup catcher out of it as it is likely to remain Austin Romine. And Clint Frazier is a known commodity, and likely to be traded this year. Instead, I will focus on three new bats that might decide the season.

1B/OF Billy McKinney

Between injury and ineffectiveness, the Yankees have begun to move on from Tyler Austin. That’s why they have been grooming Billy McKinney at first, especially in the AFL.

Billy brings some negatives. He’s a streaky hitter whose power saves him, especially in 2017, when he hit .277/.338/.483. He would never be thought of as a long-term solution at first base, but that’s what Greg Bird is for. And Austin still has a higher upside.

But Tyler can’t seem to stay on the field. He could have taken the first base bag and never relinquished it. And then he might have been the one to get the big hits in the playoffs.

Instead, he appeared in only 20 games last year; upside has nothing on consistent production.

Because, of his positive qualities, one is that McKinney plays every day. He appeared in 124 games last season, and 123 the year before. Remember the minors have truncated seasons compared to the majors.

More from Yankees Minor Leagues

• Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez ranks in tough spot on Arizona Fall League Top Prospects list
• Yankees protect only 1 top prospect from 2022 Rule 5 Draft, take major risk
• Scouts ripping Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez’s AFL performance need to get real
• Ranking Yankees prospects heading to Arizona Fall League
• Yankees 2022 first-round pick Spencer Jones ended season on a rampage

Also, that he bats from the same side of the plate as Bird makes him all the better for maintaining batting order. Boone can flip him with a lower leftie spot, such as that of Hicks, without disturbing the rest of the line-up.

McKinney will get a long look in Spring Training and has the inside track to be the backup first baseman.

IF Thairo Estrada

Estrada has continued to grow as a player and prospect. While most evaluators in the AFL could see Estevan Florial has incredible potential, everyone could see Estrada’s impressive talents. He followed his regular season slash of .301/.353/.392 with one of .342/.381/.430 in the fall.

The problem is obvious: Power. Thairo is never expected to hit twenty home runs in a season, as is every projected starting member of the infield. But he has several advantages over incumbent and fellow right-handed hitter Torreyes.

Thairo is essentially a younger, bigger, stronger player with a better arm. He’s also under team control for far longer. And he has a higher upside. If he is not traded this year, the Yankees are betting he can better Ronald’s line of .292/.314/.375 next season, most notably OBP.

He will probably start the season at Triple-A, but at some point, he is going to get important at-bats.

2B/OF Nick Solak

Solak is another exciting young player who will is very likely to start the season in Pennsylvania. But he is almost the opposite of Estrada: Solak shines best with his bat. Between High and Double-A, Solak compiled a .297/.384/.452.

If his defense were as good as his offense, he would be in the Yankees’ top three.

But his D is adequate, at best. That makes him perfect as a backup, and he will probably get his chance by June. He needs to get some AB’s at Scranton, but his offense will put him on the Yankees bench at some point in 2018.

His right-handed bat can do a lot more than just replace Torreyes’ when Solak plays second. He can also take a corner outfield spot, but no one could expect him to produce at their level. What he can do is provide less of a drop off than any other homegrown replacement.

Next: Yankees Should Play Let's Make A Deal with the Cubs

The tandem makes a lot of sense. This gives Boone a fast defensive player when he needs one, and an additional offensive threat when appropriate. The one minor drawback is that they are both righties, but that is not unusual.

The Yankees continue to get younger and better. But it is odd that a team with so much promise still has so many holes to fill. If they choose wisely and get lucky, this team can go a long way into October.

If not, we can start the Mets comparisons.