The spider sense is tingling, whispering that Hal Steinbrenner is done with big ticket free agents this winter. Passing on Andrew Benintendi - best free agent LF on the market - leaves Hal with little else to bid on. He might snag a bullpen arm or a few minor league veterans. But there is no star in the mix - does Michael Comforto even qualify? - which brings us to the most terrifying six words in the Yankiverse.
Cashman will be working the phones.
Let's, for now, ignore Aaron Hicks and Jackie Donaldson. Nobody will take their contracts. They will retire as Yankees. Maybe, one will cobble together a successful MLB season, or month. Maybe Vladimir Putin will resign. Maybe... whatever...
But the Yankees' fate in 2023 hinge on three youngsters: Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Oswaldo Cabrera. And it's time to look at what they might - and might not - deliver.
One of them needs to start next year. That's probably Peraza, who should have played SS in October. Here are his 2022 numbers, in case you forgot.
Guy hit 19 HRs, mostly at Scranton. But overall, he only hit .259 - the cup of coffee numbers aren't real. He is not the second coming of Robbie. He'll turn 23 in mid-June. Our best hope in 2023 rests with Peraza at SS.
Then comes Cabrera, a precocious kid who was pushed into the ALCS lions' den, playing LF, a position totally foreign to him. Cabrera may have indelibly charmed his way into the Yankiverse, but the truth is, he ran out of gas against Houston. (So did everybody, though.)
He needs a shot at 2B, but he probably doesn't have the bat to play LF.
Finally, there is Volpe, a former first-round pick, who had a breakout season two years ago.
He'll turn 22 at the end of April. All eyes were on him last spring, when he started at Double A and did nothing. He heated up in mid-summer, then slowed at the end.
None of these guys hit .270 last year. None broke out. I put up these numbers as a sobering way to lessen expectations. The idea currently bouncing around fan blogs goes that all three might play a substantial role - especially Volpe - in 2023. It's sort of nutty, and what they do not need are impossible expectations.
But how they do will determine 2023. And if they flop, God help us.
Ell Duque, these kids are only 22/23. They’re a good 2-3 years away. There must be this year’s version of Chris Carter or Troy T out there that Ca$hman will bring in to fill the voids.
ReplyDeleteWhy do other teams let young guys play and ours always need more seasoning?
ReplyDeleteTime, will tell.
ReplyDeleteNice assessment, Duque.
ReplyDeleteCelerino, you're right that it would be foolish to write them off. But true stars tend to develop frighteningly early.
At 22, Jeter was already hitting .310 in the majors, winning Rookie of the Year and leading the team to the World Series title. At 22 The Mick had already led the AL in OPS and runs scored, and should have won an MVP. At 22, Robbie Cano had already hit .297 on a playoff team.
All right, aided by who knows what, granted. And plenty of other guys take a little while to jell.
But we wouldn't have had to worry about their development, if Cashman had merely hung onto Urshela and signed just one of the fifty bajillion shortstops available on the free agent market over the past three years. We could have fooled around with these guys at different positions, and/or dealt them for other, needed parts.
Instead, our season will pivot on them.
I see no reason why Peraza shouldn't start at SS and Cabrera at 2B. IKF and DJ LeMahieu should play 3B. Mostly DJ, if he's healthy. IKF and Donaldson should be bench players. Gleyber Torres should be traded.
ReplyDeleteBut that ain't how Yankee management works. You can bet on IKF starting at SS. And Donaldson starting at 3B. And Torres will start at 2B until he becomes a free agent, whereupon he will walk away for greener pastures, and we'll get nothing in return. The kids will rot on the bench or get sent down for more seasoning, until they're 29 years old. They'll continue to put DJ all over the place as a super utility man, in order to make it harder for his toe to heal.