Should This Top Prospect Be The New York Yankees Opening Day Center Fielder?
Currently, the New York Yankees do not have a starting center fielder in place.
After placing starting center fielder and incoming free agent Harrison Bader on waivers, the Yankees called up top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez in September. Dominguez got his major league career off to a fantastic start; unfortunately, he was soon discovered to have a torn UCL, and immediately underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss several months in the 2024 season.
Because of Dominguez’s injury, the Yankees need a stopgap in center field. However, although the offseason hasn’t begun yet, they might have their stopgap right in front of them: Estevan Florial.
Florial was once a highly regarded prospect who has put up impressive numbers in the minors, but has struggled upon getting the call to the show. However, excluding one game he played in 2020, the 25-year-old (soon to be 26 in November) has played in just 47 games from 2021 to 2023, with only 112 plate appearances. As such, his .209/.313/.296 career slash line at the MLB level should be taken with a grain of salt.
Judging from his play with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, it’s strange that it took so long for the Yankees to call up Florial. In 101 games with the RailRiders, Florial put up a .284/.380/.565 slash line with 23 doubles, 28 home runs, 79 RBI, 83 runs scored, and 25 stolen bases. He posted a .403 wOBA and a 130 wRC+.
Those numbers were accumulated from April to August, yet Florial wasn’t called up until September. This likely has to do with the fact that Florial went 3-for-31 at the MLB level in 2022, but those 17 games were over the course of three different call-ups, and he didn’t record a single at-bat in six of those games.
Ultimately, Florial’s MLB numbers in September 2023 (hitting .230/.324/.311 with 8 RBI) weren’t anything special, but were significantly better than what he showed in 2022. His defense was also serviceable; in 156 innings in center field, he had an Ultimate Zone Rating of 1 (projected at 6.8 over 150 games) and was worth 1 out above average, although he had -1 defensive runs saved.
The biggest reason why the Yankees should give Florial a legitimate chance in 2024 is to find out what his true value is. At one point, Florial was considered one of the franchise’s “untouchables” in potential trade talks, but due to his previous struggles and the Yankees’ reluctance to have him play at the MLB level, Florial currently has little to no value in a trade for the Yankees, while he’s not considered to be part of the franchise’s future either.
But if the Yankees give him a fair shake in 2024, they can determine whether they should include him as part of the team’s future or capitalize on any trade value he might accumulate. Either way, the Yankees need to know what they have in Florial, and the best way to do that is to have him play in the big leagues.
Of course, the offseason hasn’t started yet, so the Yankees still have plenty of time to determine their 2024 outfield and who will play center field as Dominguez recovers. The roster is expected to see massive turnover during the offseason, and this could include the addition of a center fielder. But as the roster currently stands, it makes all the sense in the world to give Florial the opportunity he needs and deserves.
