Necessity forced the Yankees to try a rookie infield; now it demands a young rotation

Last night, as Miguel Andujar was rounding the bases on his first career grand slam, my cough syrup/baby laxative/Mountain Dew cocktail finally kicked in, and I briefly stumbled into a nearby alternative Yankiverse. 

There, John Sterling wore a beard, and his sidekick, Sarah Sanders, was a man. But the most noticeable difference was our infield: Jace Peterson played 3B and Danny Esposito held 2B. It was the Yankiverse of Not That Long Ago and Not That Far Away - when the team's annual quest for that final Wild Card slot meant a lineup too important to be placed in the hands of rookies. In this strange and perverted dimension, manager Joe Girardi still champions the need for veterans at the skill positions. That's how it's done in this Mets-crazy city.
Meanwhile, still on my Romilar trip, I saw Andujar in Scranton, working on his "footwork" in front of the AI-driven robot Billy Connors. Gleyber Torres was playing shortstop, a prime showcase for Brian Cashman's upcoming franchise-bending face-lift.  

It's not hard to imagine the Yankees preferring grizzled vets, because that's been their act for most of the last 20 years. But lately, the greatest fun is waiting for the bottom of the lineup to come to bat. Our 2-to-5 sluggers strike out or pop-up, but from 6-to-9, we're in business. It's youth that drives this team, and that's not even counting Clint Frazier, who deserves a shot before being traded for some aging warhorse, one step from being churned into Gorilla Glue. 

In this Yankiverse, our infield could be intact for the next eight years, which in baseball is several lifetimes. Trouble is, our rotation may not last the next eight starts. Yesterday's news that Jordan Montgomery will undergo surgery was a kick in our Stump Merrill. Trades are coming, folks.

It doesn't matter what we - or any other blogger, for that matter - say. Brian Cashman won't stand pat, not with the tall stack of trade chips at his disposal. And there is no sense speculating on future deals; Cashman never shows his hand. One day, we'll learn that so-and-so has been traded for such-and-such, and that's that.

But just so it's said, here is one fervent hope - hereby shouted into the void of Yankee space, where nobody can hear you win-warble: 

Mr. Cashman... please, I beg you... 

TRY THE ROOKIES, FIRST! 

All of us idiots who wanted Andujar and Gleyber from the git-go... we were right, dammit. We simply wanted players on the rise, rather than codgers looking to squeeze out one last annual salary. Before you trade for the ghost of Freddie Garcia, try Justus Sheffield or Chance Adams, or Jonathan Loaisiga, or Josh Rogers, or anybody.. and see what happens. If they get walloped, it won't destroy them. This isn't like bringing up a 19-year-old Marv Throneberry. At the worst, if they get knocked around, it'll be a learning experience they'll have gotten out of the way. Give them a chance. Even in losing, they'll still generate more hope than to be loaded in an Uber van and driven to Detroit. 

Try the rookies, sir. See what happens. Let's stay as far away from that other alternative Yankiverse as possible. I just can't handle John in a beard.