Last year, he didn't. But extended winter dance classes offered a second chance. He'd improve his footwork and try to keep his throws within the 212 area code. By all accounts, Andujar brought a great attitude and work ethic. By now, we expected to know.
Well, we don't. Worse, we don't even know if Andujar can play this season, period.
On both issues, it's time for answers.
For better or worse, Andujar must play every day, and play 3B as much as possible. (Sorry, Gio Urshella.) Even if the truth bites us, we need to feel its sharpened fangs.
Since returning this weekend, Miggy is 2-7 with two singles, a walk, two strikeouts, and two errors - from one game at 3B. (Okay, let's attribute that to rust.) For a while, he can DH, filling the huge void created by injuries. But Andujar is too great a talent to - at age 24 - become a man without a position, and the Death Star's lineup will soon be larded with DHs, most notably the leviathan Giancarlo Stanton. There is no endgame for Andujar as a full-time DH, and the Yankees must soon solve the mystery: Andujar needs to
Last month, when Andujar jammed his shoulder - a slightly torn labrum in his throwing arm - our time-honed, Yankee-fan pessimism prompted us to fear the worst: Out for the season. We still fear such a fate. But at least he would return next spring and, at age 25, still expect a long and fruitful career.
Now, Andujar must put his shoulder and his winter dance lessons to the test. We face two ugly realities: 1) At any moment, he could clutch his shoulder and be gone. 2) He just can't competently play third base.
But the Yankees cannot baby his shoulder. If it starts barking tomorrow, Andujar gets a MRI, sees the surgeon, and spends the next 10 months on the Stair-Master. But then he starts fresh in 2020. A far worse scenario is that he bumbles through the summer, compromised by occasional tightness, and then hurts himself in September and cannot return for 2020 spring training.
Andujar is playing on house time. If he hurts himself tomorrow, his valiant attempted comeback won't cost him all that much. The Yankees would go with Urshella, who looks competent but certainly won't hit .338. If Andujar survives a true test of his shoulder, and shows the ability to play third, his 2019 injury crisis will disappear with the month of May.
I'm not saying the Yankees should overwork the guy. But now is the time to solve all mysteries: What's inside that
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6 comments:
Collusion and obstruction! Cashman is colluding with the Russian doctors and the docile press to control the story and he's obstructing the free flow of truthful information on this and all injuries: "Everybody should be back in a week."
Attorney General Barr has read the entire 418-page AnDUjar medical report since Friday. He reports that there is no labrum injury and Miggy has no trouble fielding at third.
Given the micro-tear in his shoulder, this seems an awfully unfair moment to decide whether Andujar can cut it at third. If errant throws were a problem before, playing with a shoulder injury does not improve one's aim. I also think that Andujar's fielding errors seem to grow when everyone is riding him in the press.
And ride him they do. One notable Yankee fan site pretty much trashed Andujar all winter in the hopes of getting the Yankees to sign Machado. I think this causes him to press too hard in the field, leading to errant throws, sloppy footwork, etc.
Don't judge Andujar fielding competence this year, except to diagnose his his health. That shoulder needs to heal, before he should be judged on his fielding. Keep Gio around, he's earned his moment. Reboot this discussion next season.
Funny how once you're declared a good fielder, nothing shakes that.
The Gleyber, bless his heart, had 17 errors last year, some of them quite crucial. This year he has 4 in 21 games at SS, giving him a two-year total of 9 in 51 games at that position.
But Gleyber is "a good fielder," so they don't get mentioned.
Yesterday was typical. He made a bad, two-out boot that led to the Twins' only run. But he is a good fielder, so it was ruled a hit and no one brings it up.
I know, I know. Range factor and all that. But you can bet that if Andujar had booted the same ball, it would've been an error, and it would've been a big deal.
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