HE HITS IT ANDU-FAR!
Miguel’s bat makes Yank decision tough
DUNEDIN — Miguel Andujar is making everyone take notice of his hitting prowess early this spring. “He really impacts the ball,” Aaron Boone said on Tuesday. Does he ever. On Monday night, Andujar doubled and blasted a walk-off homer on a two-strike changeup.
A day later, the nearly 23-year-old third base prospect ripped a solo bomb over the left field wall and into the trees at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.
“It’s not about sending a message, it’s about doing your job,” said Andujar, who grew up idolizing Adrian Beltre, a likely future Hall of Famer, at the hot corner.
Brian Cashman has said that recent trade acquisition Brandon Drury’s experience gives him a “leg up” in the competition at third.
But Andujar, an emerging player who caught A-Rod’s eye last spring and later had three hits and four RBI in his MLB debut, is giving team brass something to think about — even with all his defensive deficiencies at this stage of his development.
“What I like to see is the smile is still there,” Boone said. “The belief in what he’s doing is there. And it should be. It’s fun to watch him play his game.”
On the defensive side, Boone specifically cited Andujar’s need to improve his footwork.
“The skillset, I don’t think there’s any question it’s there,” Boone said before the game. “He’s got the foot speed, the athleticism, the arm strength, all the traits you like out of a third baseman. But I think it’s continuing to really get consistent with his footwork that will allow him to be consistent on that side of the ball, and I feel like I’ve seen strides there.”
Andujar’s locker is next to Gleyber Torres’. The two roomed together while they were playing in the Arizona Fall League two years ago, and they remain close now.
“He’s amazing,” said Torres, who would often go out to dinner and play PS4 with Andujar. “I feel super happy for him. He’s always practicing and working hard. He’s gotten a lot better.”
When it comes to Torres, Cashman has repeatedly dismissed the idea that service time will factor into his decision-making process at second.
“We want to take the best players,” Cashman said. “We know we’ll have our hands full moving forward, so whoever is best (will win the job). The only question with Gleyber is he missed the second half of last year.
“He’s very young despite his talent level, and he’s pushed himself to where he is now because of his ability. But his experience is still limited at the upper levels, so that’s something we’ll have to wrestle with compared to how the rest of the competition does.”
As for Andujar, Cashman said: “He knows he’s competing for something. We have high hopes for him. He’s already opened our eyes, and not just with this camp but with what he’s done and with where he’s at in his career, and competition’s always good.
“We try to line up as much of that as we can because we think it brings out the best in people, and when it doesn’t it’s a learning experience for those who don’t adjust well to that competition. They have a chance to regroup, think through what happened, and why it went that way so the next time they can change the narrative.” ith every homer he hits, Andujar is keeping himself in the conversation.
“He looked like an everyday MLB regular in the minors last year,” a scout said.
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