Yankees' Miguel Andujar's Defense May be in Flux, But His Offensive Production Has Remained Consistent

Miguel Andújar played first base for the first time this spring on Thursday. Unlike his transition into left field, Andújar had some trouble.

Similar to his first appearances in the outfield, it didn't take long for the ball to find Andújar. With ace Gerrit Cole on the mound – who faced his own set of adversity in the 15-11 loss to the Tigers – a grounder was slapped to the right side of the infield in the bottom of the first.

Andújar ranged to his right, making a backhand stab before tossing the ball over to Cole, who was en route to cover the first base bag. He got the job done, recording the out, but the throw seemed awkward – he didn't appear as comfortable as he's been at other positions so far this spring.

He was tested again in the third frame. This time, his inexperience at the position was on full display as a routine play went awry.

After a ground ball to third base – his former position that was populated and taken over by Gio Urshela in his absence last season – Andújar mishandled the throw to first, allowing the ball to pop loose from his mitt. The 25-year-old was charged with an error on the play.

Miguel Andújar just dropped a throw from Gio Urshela over at first base.

At first glance, it looked like it might've been a short hop that Andújar missed a scoop on, but it was actually just a knee-high throw that popped out of Andújar's glove.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) March 5, 2020

Skipper Aaron Boone, who has been pleased with what he's seen from Andújar in left field so far this spring, said after the game that the plan is to keep him in the outfield, rather than first base. They'll still mix in the occasional appearance at the hot corner as well.

“Right now it is a little bit of a priority to get him back in the outfield and get him those reps and making sure we get him back to third as well,’’ Boone told reporters.

Eliminating first base from Andújar's defensive repertoire isn't detrimental to the Bombers' defensive equation – New York has Luke Voit, Mike Ford and even DJ LeMahieu as viable first base options for 2020. With only a few appearances at other positions besides third base, however, there are still questions regarding how Andújar will fit into the Yankees' positional puzzle come Opening Day.

READ: Could Miguel Andújar be Giancarlo Stanton's replacement in the outfield?

Aaron Judge's health is still up in the air, Giancarlo Stanton is unlikely to play in the Bombers' regular season opener and Aaron Hicks is poised to miss the majority of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nonetheless, there are several internal assets capable of filling these vacant slots.

The biggest reason why Andújar is being considered for this role, however, is his bat – his offensive ceiling is about as high as any of the other candidates to play in the outfield this season. As it has been all spring, Andújar demonstrated his offensive potential on Thursday, moments before that error at first base.

In the top of the third inning of Thursday's long-ball fest – in which both teams combined for 11 homers – Andújar came inches away from a grand slam. He turned on a fastball up in the zone, strutting his patented helicopter follow-through as the ball slammed off the very top of the wall in left-center field. Andújar wound up with a two-run, standup double to put the Yanks on the board.

Call in the chopper 🤙🚁 @MAndujarPapa pic.twitter.com/GzhaBCFm6k
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 5, 2020

That ceiling on offense was teased to Yankees fans in 2018 during Andújar's rookie season. The 25-year-old hit .297, slugging 27 homers and slashing 47 doubles – top-five in the Majors. He came in second place in the American League Rookie of the Year Award race to Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani.

Andújar is hitting .250 this spring, but when he's connected with the ball, it's gone a long way. Thursday's double was his third extra-base hit in just seven games, including a home run in the Yankees' second road game of Grapefruit League last month.

Here’s another look at Miguel Andújar’s HR.

Miggy does a great job smacking the ball the other way, sneaking it over the fence in the right-field corner. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/zvSCqIi2TE
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) February 23, 2020

With a hobbled roster, Andújar's presence in New York's order will be integral early on this season. His defense may still be in flux, as whether or not he'll make an impact in the field remains to be seen, but his bat hasn't taken a beat.

All in all, Andújar is eager to help this team succeed, no matter where he ends up.

"I’ve loved having an opportunity to play and help the team," he said earlier this spring through the Yankees' interpreter. "At the end of the day, that's what you want to do. You want to be able to help the team in any way possible. I'm honored to have the opportunity to be here. Any opportunity is going to be welcome."

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