Is Gio Urshela the new Andoo, or the new Never Nervous?

There is no more joyous moment in the Yankiverse than when John Sterling sings. His heart grows wings, and his lilting Nightengale voice - soaring over some obscure Broadway show tune - paints the heavens midnight blue. Yankee blue.  

Last night, The Master sang: 

"Giooooo Urshelaaaa... the most happy fella..." 

It was glorious. The juju gods cried. 

By now, you know that the Ursh moved under our feet: With one out in the ninth, on an 0-2 count, Gio's mammoth center field HR tied the game, so that Cameron Maybin could outrun a throw to the plate, allowing the Yankees to beat the drain-circling Mariners. It was the highlight moment of the 2019 season thus far, furnished by two players - three, if you count DJ LeMahieu - who few Yankee fans knew in February. I sure didn't. 

All three are playing on borrowed time:

Urshela is destined to be replaced by Miguel Andujar, a generational talent who can hit for average and power, and who needs the chance to play 3B every day.

LeMahieu will be pushed to the bench when Didi Greorious returns, reshuffling every molecule of the infield.

Maybin will almost surely vanish when Aaron Hicks and/or Giancarlo Stanton return. (It will be him or Mike Tauchman, and both will likely disappear into fragments, as if Thanos was running the team.) 

Last night, each brought his unique talent to the forefront. Urshela showed his surprising power; LeMahieu showed his skill as a contact hitter; and, aside from Tyler Wade, only Maybin possessed the speed to score on that throw to the plate. It was glorious, indeed. 

But let's talk about The Ursh. According to Bob Klapisch of the Times - (Wait... WTF... when did Klapisch join the Gray Lady? He's been around for centuries; he helped found the Daily News; didn't he cover Abe Lincoln's assassination. Is he a vampire? "Bob Klapisch of the Times," wow. Is Breslin looking for work? Maybe they can bring Red Smith back with a conjuring spell, a la John Snow...) - anyway, according to Klapisch of the Times, when the Columbian-born Urshela got two hits for the Yankees on April 20, the President of Columbia, Ivan Duque, tweeted praise. (Yeah, you read that right. The good people of Columbia know a winner when they see one. El Presidente Duque!) The Yankees believe Urshela has gold glove potential at 3B, a far cry from Andujar's concrete mitt and lead-lined waders. 

For now, the Ursh mostly reminds me of Yangervis Solarte, who burst upon the Yankiverse in 2014 with a Ruthian month of April, which had Sterling christen him "Never Nervous Yangervis." By late May, he was slumping, and Cooperstown Cashman dealt him to San Diego for his longtime man-crush, Chase Headley. We all know how that turned out. But the question remains: Is Urshela another Yangervis?

If so, that's not a bad thing. Solarte has fashioned out a fine career. (The Padres won that deal.) He's still playing for the Giants, though hitting .205 with one HR (against us, of course.) 

Listen: Urshela won't hit .350. When he batted .307 last summer in Scranton, it was his career zenith. One of these days, opposing pitchers will find a weakness, and from there, that's all he'll see. He'll either adjust or not. It hasn't happened yet, but it will. This book is merely in the first chapter. You know nothing, John Snow Sterling...

When Urshela reaches his crossroads, we can only hope that Andujar is ready to play 3B competently. Right now, he looks off: pop-ups instead of liners. In a perfect Yankiverse, when Urshela cools, Andujar will heat up. Gregorius won't return until July. By then, considering the injuries ahead, who knows who will be playing? Ryan McBroom! 

No matter what happens, Urshela just had a Yankee night that will always be remembered - like HRs from Slade Heathcott, Pat Kelly, Shane Spencer and Shelley Duncan. Nobody can ever take away that golden memory. He made The Master sing. It doesn't get any better.