CHICAGO — The Yankees, after carrying a near-barren farm system for so many years, have lived a lesson they didn’t necessarily want to learn: With great rankings comes great responsibility.
The darlings of the prospect-fetishizing set over the past 11 months, the Yankees, struck by a major injury bug, now must keep digging into their trove of young talent in order to keep this surprise 2017 endeavor afloat. Wednesday night turned into a mighty fine showcase for the Baby Bombers, who welcomed a new member aboard and subsequently powered Masahiro Tanaka and the Yankees to a 12-3 thrashing of the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field (worst ballpark name ever), in the process leaping back over the Red Sox (4-1 losers to the Twins) into the AL East penthouse.
“What an amazing day,” said Miguel Andujar, the newbie who went 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBIs in his big-league debut. “I’m never going to forget this day. I’m super-happy to be here, to be with these guys here, to be able to contribute and then get a victory.”
“There’s a lot of excitement,” manager Joe Girardi said.
In addition to Andujar’s heroics at designated hitter, Tyler Wade chipped in with his first big-league hit, a sixth-inning double, while that Aaron Judge guy ripped his major-league-leading 27th homer and, on his home run trot, sneaked a peek at the White Sox fans in right field who had been razzing him.
“I was just having some fun,” a grinning Judge said.
On the flip side, Judge’s fellow stud Gary Sanchez exemplified the growing pains that can come with developing such a young core.
Sanchez failed to block Tanaka’s splitter on a third-inning strikeout of Jose Abreu, allowing Abreu to reach first base safely and prompting Girardi to speak with Sanchez at length in the top of the fourth. Girardi said after the game he was merely talking about techniques with Sanchez and he had no issue with Sanchez’s effort this season.
Matt Holliday, battling an illness that the Yankees have yet to solve, joined Aaron Hicks (Monday) and Starlin Castro (Tuesday) as the third important hitter in three days to go on the disabled list. So it fell upon the kids to do even more, and they’ve already done plenty. Among their seven most valuable players entering Wednesday’s action, as per Baseball-Reference.com’s WAR calculations, were five guys who have played only in the Yankees organization: Judge, Luis Severino, Brett Gardner, Sanchez and Jordan Montgomery. Andujar became the eighth Yankee to make his major-league debut in 2017.
“I always look at it as an opportunity for players to show us what they can do and to shine at this level,” Girardi said of the team’s injury plague. “There are times when players skip levels because they get an opportunity.”
Andujar began the season with Double-A Trenton and just recently graduated to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he slashed .308/.379/.462 in seven games.
Before the game, a scout who has seen Andujar extensively told me, “Andujar could have some production if he sticks to the same hitting plan he has used so far, with the straightaway hit patterns. He does have legitimate power, but I hope he doesn’t get too pull-happy.”
In his first at-bat, in the first, Andujar grounded a two-out, bases-loaded single up the middle, plating two. In his last at-bat, in the ninth, he slashed a liner to deep center field for a two-run double.
With Tyler Austin (right hamstring) a possibility to go on the disabled list, and with lefty-hitting center fielder Dustin Fowler scratched from Scranton’s action Wednesday, Girardi said he wasn’t sure of the righty-swinging Andujar’s immediate fate; the Yankees are scheduled to face righty starting pitchers the next three games.
“He came up and did a really good job,” Girardi said of Andujar. “We’ll see.”
If not for the success of their youngsters, their players under team control for many years to come, the Yankees would be well below .500. Now, as they try to stay afloat in the playoff race, they require even more help. It’s a big ask.
Then again, the Yankees and the industry talked big about what was coming. To their credit, they have delivered far more than they have failed so far.