New York Yankees: What a Shortened Season Means for Bench Players

The ongoing labor disputes between Major League Baseball and the Players Association seem to be never-ending, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of the people who appreciate the sport. If and when both sides can finalize their protocols, we know for a fact that the schedule will not consist of 162 baseball games, but rather 60 contests.

And while that does not seem like a viable number for the players who want to play, and for the fans who want to watch, the novel coronavirus has created limited options.

All along we have talked about the stars of the game, in regards to their finances. We want to see the stars play as many games as possible because these players are being paid to impress on every given night. But in a season full of unknowns, ownership does not want to pay these star players a full season’s worth of salary, hence the pro-rated salaries based ultimately on the number of games played.

But let us shift our focus away from the stars of the game for a couple of minutes and dissect what a shortened season means for the bench players of the New York Yankees.

In a perfect world, the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and the rest of the squadron who find themselves unhealthy at this time should be somewhat ready to go if and when baseball returns.

So let’s assume (and yes, I know the whole jingle with that term) that the starting lineup includes everyone that should be there.

With a shortened season, that means Yankee manager Aaron Boone will want to use his starters more often, limiting bench players to even fewer games, which can be detrimental to their ability to mature at the big league level.

The same can be said about players who find themselves in slumps, because every game is so much more crucial.

But that statement was answered in a piece by my colleague Brendan Azoff, which is definitely worth a read.

Players on the rise like Tyler Wade, stud Mike Ford, head-scratcher Clint Frazier, and Miguel Andujar (getting re-acclimated after injury) all were looking to take that next step in their career.

Shall we dive in? Yeah, we shall

First baseman Mike Ford was a unique prospect. While he was tearing up Triple-A last season, his old age of 27 made him an old prospect, and he quite frankly was overlooked by many due to that reason.

But better late than never, right?

Ford was awarded the opportunity when Greg Bird, who practically lives on the Injured List, went down with plantar fasciitis. The Yankees made a move to call the big fella up on April 16, 2019, and with Luke Voit up as the starter, the left-handed bat of Ford was a valuable weapon.

In 48 games, Ford showed off his power, hitting nine balls over the fence, as well as accumulating 30 RBI.

Most prospects that come into the show nowadays are focused on launch angle and racking up that slugging percentage, rather than caring about the digits associated with a batting average.

But Ford recorded a .259 batting average and an OBP of .350. He was reliable with the glove as well, posting a .985 fielding percentage, with 191 putouts out of 194 opportunities.

Now Ford’s play is not only dictated by his production, but also by the play of Luke Voit.

While Voit took a step back in batting average last season when compared to when he first arrived in pinstripes, he continued to drive the ball until his hernia became too much to bear. If he can play consistently again this season, Ford will be used strictly as a backup, as well as a designated hitter from time to time.

And on the oft chance, knock on wood, that Voit gets hurt, Ford has a better chance of being a go-to man with Didi Gregorius no longer on the team crowding the infield, with a stronger bat than aforementioned Wade.

Back to the Baseball Reference Simulation, Ford is batting .271, with nine home runs and 30 RBI through 49 games played.

Let’s not get too carried away with the simulations, but it does give us a good idea at how often he was used.

Last season, Ford’s counterpart in Voit played in 118 of 162 games, which equals 72.8% of games.

That being said, in a 60-game season, Voit would be playing around 44 games, leaving Ford with a hypothetical 16 or so games.

Now this is not a perfect science, given the fact that injuries could happen or other underlying factors may rear their heads.

But if that is the case, 16 games, with around three at-bats per game, would mean only 48 plate appearances before the extended playoffs.

And while Ford will be turning 28 in the month of July,  we want to see this guy get chances, because if he does struggle this season, it will be very easy for someone else to replace him. Even if that player is not better, a younger player will always be given the benefit of the doubt, and depending on his ability, may be given more opportunities to improve over the older Ford.

Where oh where do we start with the Red Storm? Clint Frazier has quickly gone from being a top prospect to a guy that seems to be a bust if not playing the designated hitter position.

Ever since coming into the league, Frazier’s been known for his bat, not his fielding ability.

And his fielding ability took an even bigger toll after he crashed headfirst into the wall back in February of 2017, which left him battling concussion-like symptoms for quite some time.

So I get the hesitation in the field, as it must be in the back of his mind all the time.

Last season, his fielding woes were magnified to the extreme, posting a fielding percentage of .963 in the outfield, recording a .937 fielding percentage in right field.

While that looks really bad, because it is, he was perfect in left field, but only played half his games there with Gardner and Tauchman playing well.

When it came time to head to England for a series showdown with the Boston Red Sox, Frazier was left off the roster for that experience, illustrating where he stood in the organization.

There were rumors he may be dealt at last year’s Trade Deadline, but he survived the day and remained with the Yankees.

Playing a career-high 69 games last season, Frazier was able to improve his batting average only by .02, going from .265 in 2018 to .267 in 2019. What this shows is that he was consistent at the plate, even when adding 54 more games to his playing schedule.

The problem that Frazier will have in a shortened season is getting at-bats given his lackluster fielding. While the American League provides more of an opportunity with the DH position, the Yankees already have a guy, if healthy, named Giancarlo Stanton who will man that position throughout the season. And if he needs a break, the team would rather elect to give someone in the field a break — for example, Gary Sanchez or Aaron Judge, again if healthy — before a guy like Frazier.

Baseball Reference’s simulation has him only appearing in five games so far this season, which backs up the claim I made a line above. He’s possibly the player hurt the most by all these changes.

With no true need for him, it may make sense to move him this season. He has the batting ability, we have seen that. But for a Yankee team where the offense is not the issue, Frazier does not really provide any relief.

Out of all the players mentioned, Miguel Andujar seems to be the most interesting one.

After coming up short of winning the American League Rookie of the Year vote in 2018, Andujar was unable to prove just how good he was, as a shoulder injury ultimately forced him into going under the knife, missing the whole entire 2019 season.

With the emergence of Gio Urshela last season, it would not have been shocking to see Andujar start this season as a bench player or even platoon with Urshela at third. The Yankees are very high on Urshela, as the team had Andujar get some reps in the outfield, with a position change not out of the realm of possibilities.

In a video that surfaced back in December, it seemed Andujar was feeling good and looking good with a bat in his hand.

https://twitter.com/AJHerrmannYES/status/1206654108926664704

The main focus of Andujar this year was to just get readjusted to the major league level. Sitting out for an entire season means that there will certainly be a learning curve like we see in most players in their second season. Teams rely on analytics to do such a tremendous job at compiling scouting reports that it is rather difficult to dominate in this league.

And while there are many players that can overcome the odds and continue to shock the baseball world, there are many players that are unable to do it, too.

But in a shortened season, the ability for Boone to play a player that may struggle early on to kick off the rust is no longer a viable option with wins becoming more crucial than ever.

We all know the talent that Andujar possesses, but is it worth the risk of losing some games if Andujar struggles to come up with a big hit, or makes a timely error in the field, with fielding being a facet of his game that needed to improve from his rookie campaign?

The answer is no.

Who knows? Maybe Andujar will get right back to the form we saw in his rookie season without any issues. And while that seems very unlikely in a sport where a great player comes through one in every three at-bats, we can expect a slow start before he gets back in the swing of things (no pun intended).

The simulation has him playing rather well with 11 home runs, 30 RBI and a .270 batting average in 53 games, but I just do not see this as a reflection of the situation at hand.

If Andujar has a great season this year or struggles, it truly does not matter because a sample size of 60 games — with him playing probably no more than 30 — does not dictate the type of player he is, or the type of player he will be.