Jose Caballero's analytics-driven 2026 goals should have Yankees fans intrigued

Now with spring training games underway, we're moving into the most interesting part of the warm-up period. We're beginning to see the fruits of the labor the players have put in during the long winter away from the game, leading to both excitement and disappointment. One player who is hoping to delight the New York Yankees and their fans is Jose Caballero, the de facto starting shortstop (at least until Anthony Volpe is fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery).

Caballero quickly endeared himself to the fans after being acquired at last year's trade deadline. Known as a light-hitting utility man, he didn't look the part while slashing .266/.372/.456 over 95 pinstriped plate appearances. That newfound offensive prowess was intriguing when put together with his defensive skill and base thievery; he ended up leading the league with 49 swiped bags.

Still, the logical fan knew his offensive outburst was likely small-sample-size noise. His true value lies in his glove, his legs, and his versatility, which, while all are good qualities for a utility man, have a ceiling.

However, during the baseball-less winter, Caballero popped up at the famed Driveline training facilities. That in and of itself was exciting, but when his workouts there were deemed "history-making," some eyebrows began to raise. Now with live game action underway, we're able to see if there have been any fruits of that labor.

And thanks to Yankees insiders Chris Kirschner and Brendan Kuty, we have some new insight into what Caballero took away from his sessions at Driveline, and what his goals for 2026 will be. On the goal front, it's not what you might think, and that's exactly why it's so intriguing.

Jose Caballero's 2026 goals take an analytical lean, and could forecast a battle for the future of the Yankees' shortstop position

While most players come into camp with a statistical or personal milestone goal, say hitting 30 homers or making their first All-Star team, Caballero took a different approach.

According to Kirschner and Kuty, his original offseason plan involved playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, but he instead scrapped that plan to focus on something greater. Rather than wear himself down with live game action, he preferred to take a tactical approach to improve specific aspects of his game, while ensuring he came into spring training fresh.

“I want to prepare my body and my mind for a full season in the big leagues,” Caballero said, “(rather) than go there and just play baseball.”

With that, he's coming into 2026 with an objective. It's not to steal 50 bases or win a Gold Glove. Instead, the 29-year-old's prime focus is on increasing his average bat speed to 71 miles per hour. Throughout his career, his bat speed has sat in the 69 mile-per-hour range. In 2024, the last time he got enough plate appearances to qualify, it came in at 69.7 miles per hour, a 19th percentile showing.

“It’s because of the analytics that go behind it,” he told The Athletic. “If your bat speed increases, even if you mis(hit) a ball, you’re going to hit it a little harder than you used to.”

To that end, we've already seen the pesky utility man generate some higher exit velocities. In 2023, his average exit velo was 83.3 miles per hour. In 2024, it came in at 83.7 miles per hour. Last season, he posted a career-best 86 mile-per-hour mark. 90 miles per hour is considered above-average, and if Caballero can get there with some extra oomph on his swings, it could make all the difference.

We've already seen some dividends this spring, like how he got out in front of this pitch against the Mets on Sunday to go yard.

This all begs the question: What happens if Caballero achieves his goal? The speedster owns a career 91 wRC+, which is nine percent less than league-average performance. That said, he does boast an above-average walk rate for his career at 9%, and is coming off a 12.7% showing in 2025. If he's quicker to the ball, that could result in not only more power, but a higher baseline of base hits.

Let's say Caballero can be a league-average or slightly better hitter this season. Suddenly, he's an extremely valuable player, especially at shortstop. Last season, he recorded five outs above average at the position in just 339 innings. A starting shortstop plays roughly 1,200 innings in a season, so extrapolating that performance out, Caballero would have posted 17.7 OAA in 1,200 innings of work. That would have been good for third among major league shortstops last season, just ahead of Trea Turner.

There are a lot of ifs we'll need to see play out, but with Volpe laid up for at least a few weeks, Caballero will get his shot. And if his bat speed experiment pays off, well, we could be looking at a Gold Glove-caliber defender who can lead the league in steals, and might be able to hit at a league-average or better clip.

That would then beg the question, should he really take a step back in favor of Volpe? The much-maligned youngster might be coming in with a chip on his shoulder, but by the time he returns, it might be too late, as long as the Yankees are willing to be so bold.

Time will tell, and Caballero will have to prove it. For every game-changing offseason, there are just as many flops as there are hits. But the process, the mentality, and the potential all have us very intrigued.