COULD RUSS CANZLER BE THE KEY BACKUP AT FIRST BASE?

While everyone is thrilled to see Mark Teixeira back on the field, there is always some level of nervousness when you see a recovery from an injury as serious as Teixeira’s was.

 (In Photo: Mark Teixeira)
Having witnessed what happens when an errant pitch hits a batter, or a freak accident happens, it is hard to underestimate the value of having good backup plans.  The Yankees signed minor league first baseman and left fielder Russ Canzler and invited him to try out at spring training. Canzler has not played since 2012, when he was a September call up for the Cleveland Indians, and the rust has shown.

In 21 plate appearances, he has struck out nine times, walked once, gotten three base hits, and drove in one run. Okay, granted that is nothing to write home about. However, his history says that he may have some potential.  Canzler has a grand total 29 games in the majors, having been a September call up in both 2011 and 2012. He did play consistently for the whole month of September in 2012, and the results are not bad. He reached base in each of his first seven games, by which point he put together a .347 average. He did come back to Earth after that, finishing with a .269 average for the season. His play in the field is also decent, having only one major league error.

I always admire these kids that keep pushing for a shot to play. Canzler is going to turn 28 on April 11, and he has already been through the ringer. The Yankees briefly signed him in early 2013, only to release him on waivers soon afterwards. He did not play for the entire year, largely because no one picked him up. A year on hiatus would make the average person quit, but here he is taking swings and playing the field, making a case for a spot on the roster.

Russ Canzler is exactly the kind of guy you would cheer for, you want to see succeed. Now the Yankees have given him a chance and the hope is that we have a backup plan for first base. We just hope he gets his shot because he has impressed with his skills, and not because you need him.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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