Miguel Andujar is continuing to turn heads in spring training with his latest performance against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. Andujar crushed the first pitch he saw from Nicholas Pivetta in the 2nd inning for a home run, and then hit another the first pitch he saw in his second at-bat off Pedro Beato in the 3rd inning.
When the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks at the start of camp, it seemed as though the third base position for the Yankees had finally been solidified, but with every swing of the bat Andujar seems to be refusing to accept that notion. He now has 4 home runs in spring training and turns only 23 years old on Friday. Yankees pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, was finishing up an interview during the game and had only one response when he turned his head and saw the ball fly over the wall in the 3rd inning, “Andujar again?”
Aaron Boone was asked about Andujar postgame, he had only praise for him. “He’s special from a bat speed standpoint. Knows where his barrel is. Walks up there with a lot of confidence. So it’s good to see him continue to swing it. Shoot, even his third at bat he must missed hitting another one, just got underneath it. He was all over that pitch. Happy for him that he just continues to gain that confidence, obviously in a really good place right now.”
The Yankees signed Andujar in 2011 out of the Dominican program for $750,000. The program was run by Basilio Vizcaino, who also helped recruit and develop Gary Sanchez. Andujar continues to improve each year as pro and also had the opportunity to showcase his skills during two stints in the majors during the 2017 season. The Yankees loved how Andujar had a mixture of skills when they signed him, particularly, the combination of power potential and athleticism.
Spring Training will only get more interesting for Yankees as their top infield prospects, Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, fight for starting positions in 2018. That’s what makes this Yankee team not only highly anticipated yet, scary at the same time, they have a great team now and will only continue to get better with their elite farm system. This has the feeling of the next Yankees dynasty.