Yankees: The star and the stud; Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres

Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres have made their much-anticipated appearances for the Yankees this spring with significantly different results through the first seven games.

It’s a small sample size to be sure, but the differences are hard to miss: Miguel Andujar’s star power is on display, heavy emphasis on the power. Gleyber Torres, the top stud in the Yankees farm system, is struggling so far to find his way at the plate.

Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies was a perfect example of how differently their springs are going. Andujar, in the designated hitter spot, launched two sizzling home runs, while Torres, in a pinch-hitting role, struck out twice.

Andujar went long on the first pitch in each of his first two appearances on Thursday. He has four home runs in 14 at-bats this spring, with a .429 average and a 1.786 OPS.

Per the NY Post, manager Aaron Boone said of Andujar’s bat:

He is special from a bat-speed standpoint and he knows where his barrel is and walks up there with a lot of confidence.

Andujar has almost generated enough power with his bat to overshadow reservations about his defense, as fans are clamoring for him to win the third base job over Brandon Drury, who was brought in to provide veteran defensive stability in the infield.

Torres is 1-11 on the spring with a .091 average and has had good success with the glove, albeit, with an error thrown in.

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The differences between these two Yankees’ prospects so far goes beyond Thursday’s box score.

Andujar is a power hitter coming off a spectacular minor league season, posting a .315/.351/.498 slash line with 16 homers in 125 games between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

He was rewarded with a big league call-up, where he collected four hits — two were doubles — and a walk in just eight plate appearances. As a whole, Andujar posted a .571/.625/.857 line with four RBI and a 1.482 OPS in five games.

When Andujar comes to the plate this spring, he has a confidence and a presence about him that he already belongs.

Torres, on the other hand, is a line drive spray hitter with pop in his bat also, whose 2017 was interrupted by an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery and ended his season in mid-June.

Torres hit .287/.383/.480 with seven home runs in 55 games between Double-A and Triple-A last season; however, after his call up to Triple-A, he was hitting .309/.406.457 with two home runs in 23 games. Torres’ offense was trending up in Triple-A when he was injured.

There were questions coming in to 2018 as to whether Torres would need time to sharpen up after a long layoff and speculation that he would begin the season in Triple-A, as a result.

Next: A wild idea to fix the Yanks' crowded outfield

Whatever the result of the next three or four weeks of Spring Training, for these two elite players, there is a frisson of excitement throughout the Yankees’ universe, as they display some of the best talents in all of Major League Baseball.

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Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres have made their much-anticipated appearances for the Yankees this spring with significantly different results through the first seven games.

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