Yankees: Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar will win AL ROY

Due to injury, could Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani be out of the running for the AL ROY, allowing the Yankees Gleyber Torres or Miguel Andujar to win it?

The last time the Yankees had a viable farm system was in the early 1990’s when Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte were at the top of the class. They again have a stacked farm system which has produced Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar to the major league level just this season.

Although Bernie Williams was also part of this homegrown bunch, it was Jeter, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte that was named the “Core Four.”

As for Gleyber Torres, he was traded to the Yankees from the Cubs for Aroldis Chapman. Chapman was a three-month rental for Chicago as they wanted to win the World Series, something they hadn’t done for over 100 years. They now have three rings in total: 1907, 1908 and 2016.

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The last two Yankees to receive the ROY was Jeter in 1996, and Aaron Judge in 2017. Jeter had a .314 batting average, scored 104 runs and slashing .370 OBP/.430 SLG/.800 OPS. Judge had a .284 batting average, scored 128 runs, along with his .422 OPS/.627 SLG/1.049 OPS.

Los Angeles Angels SP/DH, Shohei Ohtani, was an early ROY candidate, but he was placed on the disabled list in June with Grade 2 right elbow strain, forcing him to miss 11 weeks from the mound. Ohtani ended up being a part-time designated hitter, and although he still has a chance of winning the AL ROY, I believe either Torres or Andujar will receive the award.

Torres was called up on April 21, 2018, and Andujar on March 31, 2018. Andujar was promoted after Billy McKinney landed on the disabled list by crashing into the left-field wall trying to make a catch, resulting in a left AC sprain in his shoulder.

Andujar ended up taking over Brandon Drury’s spot in the lineup, whom the Yanks acquired in a three-team trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks in February. Drury ended up suffering from severe migraines and blurred vision, forcing the Yanks to place him on the disabled list.

Yankees General manager Brian Cashman eventually traded Drury and the 23-year-old McKinney to Toronto for J.A. Happ.

Soon after, Andujar took off, hitting .301 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and slashing .333/.540/.863. Torres is hitting .282 with 22 home runs, 66 RBIs and slashing .351/.511/.863.

Let’s not forget, Torres also underwent Tommy John Surgery in June 2017 after sliding into home plate during a Triple-A game. Torres tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

This season will mark the first time in Yankees history that there will be two back-to-back years of the Bombers selected for the AL ROY. That speaks volumes of how stacked the farm system is — along with how brilliantly this was all done by Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.

Cashman started the rebuild back in 2016 by launching a fire sale before the July 31 deadline by trading away:

• Andrew Miller to the Cleveland Indians for top-ranked prospects Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, along with Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen.
• Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for pitching prospects Dillon Tate and Erik Swanson, and infielder Nick Green.
• Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for Adam Warren, top-ranked prospect Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney and Rashad Crawford

Cashman was named the 2017 Baseball Executive of the Year, along with signing a five-year contract extension worth $25 million — keeping him as the Yankees general manager until 2020.

Two stellar rookies in the same season, both equally deserving of the AL ROY is a unique position for the Yankees to be in. It’s not a sure thing, but it is looking very likely, given how Torres and Andujar have been hitting. For Yankee fans, this is very exciting for us to watch and I will be thrilled if either of our Yanks wins the award.