Young Yankees looking to make strong impressions this Spring Training
By: Steve Angelovich
Tags: Sports, Baseball, Yankees, New York Yankees, MLB

Young Yankees looking to make strong impressions this Spring Training

WikiCommons

The Yankees made the big splash this winter by signing Gerrit Cole to a record contract. Many believe he is the final piece for the Yankees in their quest for title number 28. As the team begins to head down to Tampa for spring training, there are several Yankees who could play a big part in their championship quest despite not making as much as Cole will in a single start this season.

Miguel Andujar

One year can make all the difference in sports. This time last year, everyone was wondering if Andujar would be able to build off his rookie season where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. A shoulder injury and a Gio Urshela later, many wonder what Andujar’s role, if any, will be on the roster.

The report on Andujar is pretty straightforward. He can hit the cover off the bat but he can’t cover the ball at third base. The Yankees have made it clear that the starting third base job belongs to Urshela and Andujar will have to earn his way into the lineup. There are, however, ways he can do that: he has been asked to learn to play at a couple new positions, 1B and LF. He also continues to work on his play at third and is already shagging fly balls.

The Yankees know far too well that the injury bug can cause chaos to a lineup. Andujar will turn 25 next month and still has plenty of minor league options. This is a key spring training for his career. Can he remain focused even if he is forced to go to AAA to bide his time and possibly continue to learn a new position?

Many great players started at 3B only to move to 1B or LF because their bat was lethal. Albert Pujols, for example, was a 3B/LF early in his career. No one is comparing Miggy to the Machine but if that bat continues to impress there should be at-bats for Andujar in the Bronx. They would like to keep DH spot for Stanton, but Andujar could still earn the majority of his at-bats there.

Mike Ford

Right across the diamond from Andujar is another youngster who will need to make a strong impression this spring training. Luke Voit’s injury last season opened the door for Ford to get his first taste of the big leagues. Ford performed well, hitting 12 home runs with an OPS+ of 137 in 143 at bats. Luke Voit will enter Spring Training healthy and ready to pick up where he left off before his injury. If he does that then Ford won’t see much playing time. But, if there are some struggles from Voit, Ford is next in line, ready to capitalize.

Last season, DJ LeMahieu got plenty of reps at first base due to the logjam around the rest of the infield. In 2020, LeMahieu is expected to be the everyday second baseman, his natural position, which leaves back up 1B open for Ford. Ford does have one thing that the Yankees need: a lefty swing. The Yankees are a very unbalanced lineup and while analytics say it is not that important, having a lefty bat at Yankee Stadium is always a plus. Neither Voit nor Ford will be a game changer in the field so if Ford has a big Spring, he could steal at bats away from Voit.

And did we mention Ford has been working hard on his fitness this off-season?

Competition is good, and Mike Ford appears ready to fight for the starting first base job. While he might lose out at first, expect to see him on the 26-man roster most of the season.

Jordan Montgomery

Monty was already going to be on this list before the James Paxton injury, but now he has a much easier path to get back into the rotation. After missing most of last season due to Tommy John, Montgomery will come into spring training much like he did in 2017, with the opportunity to make an impact in the starting rotation.

It seems so long ago but Montgomery finished 6th in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 and was arguably the best rookie pitcher in all of baseball. He only averaged 5.1 innings per start so we shouldn’t expect much more than that after his injury. But five innings before handing it off to a very deep bullpen should be enough.

He will, however, face competition for the fifth spot. Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga expect to be given the same opportunity as Montgomery in spring training. Both of them are better off in the bullpen though, so there is a case for Montgomery to start only going three to four innings followed by a combo of Cessa and Loaisiga. Like Andujar, Montgomery does have minor league options while Cessa does not. If it is an even race, Cessa might win out while Jordan stays ready in AAA, but I wouldn’t expect him there long if this does happen.

Mike King

Another name mentioned for the fifth rotation spot is Mike King. I would place him fourth in the race at the moment simply because of experience. King made a splash in 2018 by having a 1.84 ERA across three minor league levels. Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from getting a chance to prove that it wasn’t just a fluke.

Similar to Montgomery, King’s success is all about command. His fastball and slider won’t make hitters look silly but if he has control of them, he can quickly go through a lineup and do so with a ton of ground balls. King will eat up innings which is exactly what the Yankees will be looking for at some point during the season. But with only 62.2 innings of AAA ball, King should come into Spring focused on improving his game and trying not to get too caught up in the battle for a MLB roster spot.

Clarke Schmidt

Schmidt wasn’t mentioned by the Yankees this week when discussing the open rotation spot but that doesn’t mean he won’t have the chance to make an impression this Spring. Since being taken in the first round by the Yankees in 2017, Schmidt has been known to spend more time on the sidelines than on the mound. The Yankees knew this when they took him though, seeing as he got Tommy John surgery right before the Yankees took him 16th overall.

This is the movement year for the soon to be 24 year-old Schmidt. He needs to stay healthy and if he does he could fly to the majors. After reaching AA last season, expect him to start there this year before quickly hitting AAA. He has a four-pitch arsenal and offers a change-up that can be used as an out pitch. He struck out 102 in 90 innings last season.

While many are focused on Deivi Garcia as the next big pitching prospect, I would expect Schmidt to start rising quickly up the Top 100 prospects list by mid-season as he could join the Yankees in the summer months. A strong Spring from the non-roster invitee will start the trend of hearing his name more and more as the season progresses.