Urshela has been a godsend at 3B, erasing the psychic pain we expected to feel from losing Miguel Andujar to a bum wing. He leads the Yankees in hitting. Damn, at this pace, forget Andu: This guy's better! Andu II!
One problem, though:
It won't last.
Nope. It won't. It can't. Over 11 minor league seasons, Urshela is a career .272 hitter. In four scattered years of MLB sightings, he's hit .245. Las Vegas odds say that by Sept. 30, his average will fall somewhere in between - and if so, the Death Star will probably view itself lucky.
On the season, Urshela has yet to clear 100 at bats. One certainty: The next 100 will be a bitch. (He's already hit a mini-slump -3-for-15.) Soon, the league will write its book on Urshela, forcing him to adjust. Only then will we know his value. One key: When his average dips, as it will, can he maintain his superb glove work? It sounds easy. It's not. Remember Never Nervous Yangervis?
When Urshela falls back to earth, our daily 3B could become DJ LeMahieu, currently our second-best hitter. Give credit to Cooperstown Cashman here: General Curtis LeMahieu is a valuable lug nut - a smart free agent signing. What he's not is Manny Machado. The General is a career .299 - (he once won a batting title in the helium air of Colorado) - which means his .322 average is no mirage. This guy can hold down 3B and deliver some hits. Let's figure he finishes around .290. Not bad.
But let's plan for the worst: Another wave of injuries. Thus far, Thairo Estrada has played himself into - at the least - a trade chip for the Aug. 1 Bumgarner Bidding War. He has been a .282 hitter throughout the minors, he recovered from a gunshot wound - not his fault, and character points for coming back - and he looks like a stopgap 3B, at the least, if the juju asteroid hits Yankee Stadium.
There is also Mary Tyler Wade, "the New Brigadoon," who looks more Refsnyderian every day. He's 3 for 19 at Scranton, clearly demoralized by the sad sinkhole that has seemingly swallowed his Yankee career. I still believe in this guy. He still leads the team in stolen bases. Will he even be around to pinch run in the Wild Card game? Jeez, what a disappointment.
Then there are the mystery 3Bs: Troy Tulowitzki and Didi Gregorius. At this point, Tulo looks like Kevin Youkilis 2.0, a sad post-script to a great career. It's hard to imagine the Yankees moving their best player - Gleyber Torres - to 2B so that Tulo can subject his 36-year-old body to another strain. The Yankees won't embarrass Tulowitzki - he is a beloved vet - but barring injuries to everyone else, he has no place on this team. (I looked it up: In 13 seasons, he has never played 3B.)
When Didi returns - assuming he doesn't stink, a distinct possibility, after missing so much time - Gleyber will likely move to 2B, freeing LeMahieu to play 3B. Would Didi - nursing a bad elbow - move to 2B? I doubt it. A few years back, he played 2B in the Bud Selig International World Cup, and hurt his shoulder making a DP pivot. Didi will DH or play SS - and he might be the only DH/SS in baseball.
Okay, so much for 3B. But questions abound. Is Luke Voit's recent slump an aberration or the new normal? And what about the outfield? Will Gardy ever hit again? Can Clint Frazier get as hot as he was before the injury?
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9 comments:
It’s Three games versus The Tampons. The only reason I worried upon reading your typo is I just bought a ticket (drunk) last night online to the Yankees at Baltimore this Monday, May 20th. So now I wonder whom is more drunketh?
Hoss, thanks for the pitcher blow-out rundown. You jogged my memory. All I could think of was Bouton.
The Patchwork Yankees are doing OK. I'm sacrificing goats to the gods on Mount Nettles for Urshela's continued success.
Gio's success is amazing, but what's really stunning (and responsible in large part for the current drive) is German.
I didn't think he had it in him. And maybe he didn't think he did....
Terrific point, Joe Usedtobeof Brooklyn, that people forget, thinking it's just a game of numbers. The hitters respond to their pitchers' performance, their guts improved by hope, when there is some. Baseball's essence is in that spiritual fire.
Sure thing, JM. And I'm someone who still mourns the likes of Gil Patterson blowing out his arm, and the failure of such promising entities as Ken Clay, Gene Nelson, Mike Griffin, Stefan Wever, Clay Christiansen, or Christian Parker to ever quite materialize (though I'm not sure it was a physical injury in all these cases).
It's what's most frustrating about the game—and think how frustrating it must be for all of them!
Joe FOB: Pitching, pitching, pitching!
Loved the Greek mythology reference, Duque! And yes, they will catch up with Gio. Which is maybe another reason why it will be good to get the big guns back. We can carry him for his glove.
Didi HAS played 3B—2 games for AZ in 2014. Still, that could be a place for him. After all, we want to keep The Gleyber at his position of the future, right? And we should be thinking about Thairo the Pharaoh as our 2B of the future. The guy flashed in the minors before taking a bullet; maybe he's for real. I would hate to throw him away for Bumgarner.
Gardy, meanwhile, remains a real problem. It's already time to drop him back into what always should have been his role, as a No. 4 outfielder and defensive replacement.
And we have to face it: if and when we have Judge, Hicks, Stanton, and Frazier back and firing on all cylinders—with a Maybin playing well, and maybe Florial waiting in the wings...is it time to say goodbye to Brett??
Well, let's burn that bridge when we come to it.
We're doing a Brazilian mixed grill this weekend. I'll get some goat too.
Whose doing Brazilian mixed grill? You and your fantasy cross-dressing pinup boys? Get help.
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