WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH DEAN ANNA?

Dean Anna has been playing hard this Spring Training. His bat has shown sparks of life, and Joe Girardi seemed to be positive when talking about him. But, is the infielder our golden ticket at backup?

Last season Anna put up decent numbers in the minors. He hit .331 with a .410 OBP. Still Anna did not receive a call up late in the season. The Yankees acquired him from the Padres this November. With the need for a backup in the infield, the Yankees have been giving Anna the opportunity to show his chops.

Aside from his BA last season, he has gone mostly unnoticed. Why? Could it possibly be his fluctuating BA? It has been anywhere between .220 and .280 every year since 2008. His career high home runs is 10, with a whopping 40 over the entirety of his career. His stats don't sparkle.

I'm not saying he isn't capable of better, simply that it is going to take more to completely sell me on the idea. Anna is a talented player. The potential to be a great starting shortstop is there. But we have Eduardo Nunez, and despite my concerns with his errors, I know that he can produce a decent bat consistently. There is also Scott Sizemore to consider in all of this. The competition is serious, and Anna will need to step up big time if he expects to join the team in the Bronx.

I like Anna. I know that he can become great for our team. His bat needs to become more consistent, and while I am not going to expect a home run every at bat, he's got to do better.

Anna has what it takes. He just needs to prove it to everyone else.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer

Twitter: @e_morales1804

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