The Yankees outfield has unraveled before our eyes. Aaron Hicks is having surgery and Clint Frazier is having some issues with a stiff neck. Infielders Miguel Andújar and Tyler Wade have been filling in the corner outfield spots and Brett Gardner has taken over centerfield. While there is some early trade talk to acquire an additional outfielder, let’s take a look at what options the Yankees have at the major league level and in Triple A.
Andújar and Wade
Looking more into Andújar and Wade’s history in the outfield, we have a pretty small sample to work with, but they are both below average defenders.
Andújar is a below average infield defender and has about average speed (27.1 ft/s), so we can assume that over a larger sample size he would also be a below average outfielder.
Tyler Wade is an average to below average infielder depending on what position he is playing. He also has below average outfield metrics, but he is the fastest player on the Yankees and has above average sprint speed (29 ft/s).
That being said, both Andújar and Wade are a better playing positions in the infield, so let’s see what other outfield options the Yankees have available.
Options on the 40-Man Roster
Starting with the remaining options on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have Ryan LaMarre and Estevan Florial.
LaMarre was just called up last Sunday and played in three games, but then was placed on the 10 day IL for an injured hamstring last Thursday 5/20.
LaMarre has been with quite a few organizations. He had the most time at the major league level in 2018, when he played in 76 games. He is now the second fastest Yankee behind Wade (28.9 ft/s sprint speed), and is an average defensive player.
The only other outfield option on the 40-man is Estevan Florial. Florial is a top prospect, but started the year in Double-A and was just promoted to Triple A. Based on some scouting reports, he has a plus arm and he is a plus defender. However, he needs a little bit more time to develop before he can contribute to the major league club. So when his time comes, he should be exciting to watch in the outfield. Depending on how bad the injury situation gets and how well he’s doing in Triple-A, the Yankees may call him up within the next couple of months.
Scranton Railriders (Triple A) Options
The injury bug is not exclusively affecting those at the major league level. Looking at some other options from the Scranton RailRiders, which is the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, outfielders Greg Allen and Trey Ambergey are both on the injured list.
Greg Allen is a plus defender with experience at the major league level. He had:
- +4 OAA and +4 DRS in 2019
- 0 OAA and +1 DRS in 2020
Trey Amburgey is doing well at the plate so far, but the consensus in scouting reports is that his defense is a little shaky, particular his reads and jumps, and he has a below average arm. It’s worth noting that he was doing pretty well offensively so far, hitting 10 for 22 (.455) with 3 HRs before he was placed on the IL.
Now for the RailRiders who are not on the IL.
Socrates Brito has the most MLB experience. The Yankees signed him this past January, but he didn’t play in the majors in 2020. The first year of his career (2015) was his best offensively and defensively. His defensive numbers were above average in 2015, but were closer to average in 2019.
In 2019, he had:
- 0 OAA
- -2 DRS
He is also very fast, and has 98th percentile speed.
Centerfielder Thomas Milone, former Rays draft pick, was just called up to Triple A and is regarded very highly in terms of his defensive ability. He has plus defense and speed in centerfield. He was working on his plate approach but is hitting well in his first 5 games at this level. He is 8 for 21 (.381) so far.
I had some trouble finding information for Zack Zehner, who is the last outfielder on the RailRiders. That being said, he has good fielding percentages and is ranked above average in terms of Fangraph’s defensive metric (Def), which measures fielding runs above average plus positional adjustment.
So, what’s next?
If Clint Frazier does not head to the IL, I think the Yankees may wait it out until either Florial or Milone are ready to be called up. I believe both would be solid long-term options, but it’s important that they are ready when the time comes.
If the stiff neck is serious and Frazier is injured, then I would not be surprised if the Yankees acquire an outfielder from another team. They have already started looking, and have been linked to Delino DeShields as a temporary option.
What do you think the Yankees should do?