Andujar can’t get warm in D.R. winter league
Miguel Andujar has been struggling to find where he fits since spring of 2020. The 2018 Rookie of the Year runner up was “Wally Pipped” by Gio Urshela and has not been able to get a toehold in the Bombers’ lineup since. With that in mind, Andujar was back playing winter ball in his native Dominican Republic for the second year in a row and still looking to prove he still can contribute to a big league team.
So far, it hasn’t been convincing. In just eight games with Toros del Este, the infielder/corner outfielder has slashed .161/.182/.161 with a .343 OPS. He has two RBI, six strikeouts and one walk in 31 at-bats. That isn’t really a compelling case for the Yankees, who did offer him a contract while non-tendering Tyler Wade and Clint Frazier last month. Andujar is in his first winter of salary arbitration, which means he is likely to go past the $1 million mark this year.
But where will he be paid to play?
“He really looked lost at the plate when I saw him,” one scout who saw Andujar last season said. “He has a long, big and violent swing. He always has, which is why he goes through streaks of hot and cold. When he is on, he has raw power and is working the whole field. He has good speed, so he can take line drives and get doubles.
“But he hasn’t had one of those really good stretches since he got hurt,” the scout said. “He’s a guy I would say you’d take in a trade hoping a change of scenery and maybe some different voices would get him back on track.”
In 2018, Andujar finished second in the American League to Shohei Ohtani for the Rookie of the Year award -- and some argued he should have won it. Andujar slashed .297/.328/.527 with a .855 OPS in 149 games. He crushed 27 home runs, had 47 doubles and drove in 92 runs. He was awkward defensively at third base, but his bat kept him in the lineup -- until the late innings when Aaron Boone would make a defensive substitution for him.
In 2020, Andujar injured his shoulder and after an initial attempt to rehab and come back, ended up needing surgery. He played just 12 games as Urshela took over the everyday third base job.
Urshela’s progress offensively that year and his smooth glove made Andujar the odd man out in the infield and the Yankees tried to keep his bat in the lineup by trying him in the outfield. It’s not been a natural fit. The sporadic playing time clearly impacted his offense, but Andujar has also struggled to stay on the field. He has had wrist issues that have put him back on the IL and in 2020 he was demoted, because there was nowhere to pay him.
Since his breakout 2018 season, Andujar has played just 78 games for the Yankees and has had just brief flashes of the power and talent.
With the Yankees looking for lefty bats, most likely at first base, and needing to find an everyday shortstop, which forces them to play Gleyber Torres at second base, there is no room for Andujar in their infield. They have Aaron Judge and Joey Gallow penned in as corner outfielders and with them looking at bringing in a centerfielder to compliment what they hope is a healthy Aaron Hicks, they likely won’t have room there for Andujar either.
In the winter of 2019, they had teams inquire about the 26-year-old, but they were hesitant to move him, unsure about Urshela’s 2019 season. Now, the Yankees seem pretty certain about both players. When the league can come to terms with a deal to end the owner’s imposed lockout, the Yankees will likely look to move Andujar, probably as part of a package, which is probably the best thing for him.