Yankees tell Miguel Andujar he’ll learn two new positions this spring

With Gio Urshela slated to open the 2020 season as the Yankees starting third baseman, manager Aaron Boone has reportedly told Miguel Andujar he’ll learn two new positions this spring — left field and first base.

Out of sight, out of mind? Not so fast when it comes to 2018 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Miguel Andujar. Although it would take a truly awful spring — or worse an injury, for Gio Urshela to lose the starting third base job, the Yankees understand that a healthy Miguel Andujar provides another dynamic bat in the lineup.

While some are quick to point out that Andujar only has one season of major league production under his 24-year-old belt, might I remind you that the 2019 Yanks won 103 regular-season games due in large part to career offensive seasons from guys like Urshela, Mike Tauchman and D.J. LeMahieu.

Naturally, LeMahieu is a proven commodity, having been a two-time All-Star with the Rockies.

Even though he slugged 26 homers and 102 RBIs, blowing his previous career highs of 15 and 66, respectively, out of the water, LeMahieu has slashed .302/.354/.423 during nine major league seasons.

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Set to become a free agent next winter, LeMahieu should meet and perhaps even exceed the expectations he proved to the Yankee faithful in ’19.

As for Tauchman, he’ll likely be in a platoon situation with Giancarlo Stanton for left field duties when manager Aaron Boone opts to DH another slugger. Otherwise, Tauchman will look to hold off Clint Frazier for one corner of the outfield.

Then there’s Urshela, who has always been known as a defensive marvel, despite an inconsistent stick. From his rookie season with Cleveland in 2015 through the time he was traded to Toronto in early 2018, Urshela hit a paltry .225 with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and a .589 OPS across 167 games.

Whether it was due to inconsistent at-bats or lack of confidence, Urshela couldn’t live up to his top prospect billing. However, Yankees GM Brian Cashman pulled a rabbit out of his hat, acquiring Urshela from the Blue Jays in August 2018 for a mere $25k.

Although his contract wasn’t selected by the Yanks until April 6, 2019, following Andujar’s partial labrum tear, the 28-year-old Venezuelan-native finally began to live up to his potential, hitting .314 with 21 homers, 74 RBIs and a .889 OPS in 132 contests.

Now it’s fair to not only give Urshela the everyday third base job that he earned — but also keep the faith in Anduajr because Gio still needs to prove he wasn’t a one-year wonder — much like Andujar is now forced to do.

And so, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network, while in the Dominican Republic, Boone spoke with Andujar and told him that he’d be learning both left field and first base during spring training. Per Randy Miller of NJ.com:

“Aaron Boone told us off camera that Andujar’s eyes lit up when he was told that versatility could be his ticket to more at-bats.”

Andujar, who has excellent speed and a superior throwing arm (at least before labrum surgery), will be up against the clock to learn the nuances of two new positions. With minor league options remaining, should it take Andujar some time to knock the rust off after missing almost all of last season, he could very well find himself in Triple-A Scranton.

Learning the tools of the trade down on the farm will come with far less pressure, but again, if Andujar tears the cover off the ball, reminiscent of 2018 when he finished hitting .297 with 47 doubles, 27 long balls, 92 RBIs and a .855 OPS, the Yanks will be hard-pressed to keep him off the 26-man roster.

Two and a half months ago, I wrote that the Yanks would be wise to consider turning Andujar into an Alfonso Soriano clone. Similar in ability, athleticism and stature — a change in position for Andujar could allow his offense to flourish further — much like Soriano’s did after moving away from second base.

Ultimately, Curry believes it’ll be a challenge for the Yankees to find Andujar a spot from the jump; however, he can’t see Andujar not getting between 400-500 at-bats this season.

“Some might be at third base, but Cashman said that’s Urshela’s job to lose, so put on a first baseman’s mitt, get an outfielder’s glove and show you can play. I think it’s a challenge for Andujar, but I think he’s athletic enough to do it.”