Yankees: 3 reasons why Miguel Andujar, not Shohei Ohtani, should win AL ROY

So far, Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar has had a tremendous rookie season. Some analysts believe Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani deserves the American League Rookie of the Year award. Here are three reasons why Andujar, and NOT Ohtani, deserves the honor.

Miguel Andujar started his 2018 season in the minors, but now he bats in the heart of the AL Wild Card-leading New York Yankees lineup. He earned his promotions by remaining consistent and healthy all year long. Now MLB fans are beginning to recognize him as a household name. Other fans and analysts like me believe either him or Gleyber Torres will win the AL Rookie of the Year, but there’s another name in the hat.

Unfortunately, Andujar’s breakout campaign occurred during a year where Japanese baseball “phenom” Shohei Ohtani arrived in the MLB. Over the last couple of years, sports reporters have anointed Ohtani as the greatest thing since sliced bread. So one could think the AL Rookie of the Year award was practically his before he stepped on an MLB field.

The coverage of the Ohtani sweepstakes last year made the then 23-year-old Japanese ballplayer appear to be a rock star. Major League Baseball’s love for nostalgia also elevated Ohtani to superstardom status as he was commonly referred to as “The Babe Ruth of Japan.”

Expectations were high for Ohtani because of his outstanding success as a pitcher and a hitter in Japan’s professional baseball league. However, one can argue that his injury-plagued season and his inability to play every day for the Los Angeles Angels should prevent Ohtani from winning the AL ROY.

As for Miguel Andujar, entering 2018, he had to earn his spot on the Yankees roster. Brandon Drury was expected to be the Yankees starting third baseman in 2018. But injuries forced Drury out, and Andujar in. Since then, Miggy has out hit every Yankees player, with a .298 batting average.

Despite his over-achieving performance, some of the sports media industry’s most prominent contributors will not stop drinking the Ohtani Kool-Aid. Let’s take Fancred Sportswriter and MLB Insider Jon Heyman for example:

A day later, Heyman tweeted out that he found a few who agree with him, “but not many.” Sports Illustrated staff writer Emma Baccellieri also sided with Heyman’s opinion. In her article, she explained why she believes that no matter what the future holds for Ohtani’s injured arm, he should still win the honor.

I respectfully disagree with these journalists, and I’ve provided three reasons why Miguel Andujar should win the AL ROY award.