ANDUJAR & BOGGS HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON

Source: NJ.com

By now we have all heard multiple accounts of how Miguel Andujar needs to step up his defense at third base if he is going to keep his job.  What if I told you that Wade Boggs was in a similar situation early on his career? It's true- Andujar & Boggs have more in common than you think.

According to an article on ESPN, "A longtime American League evaluator discussed the defense of New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar last week, and noted the journey of Hall of Famer Wade Boggs. In his climb through the minor leagues, Boggs was regarded as a subpar defender, with a habit of drifting forward at the release of the pitch, too often leaving him in a disadvantageous position to make a play."  Encouraging to say the least, particularly with the organization's talk of trading the almost AL Rookie of the Year and their interest in All Star Manny Machado.

Source: Sporting News

"Andujar's consistently strong effort instills confidence within the Yankees organization that he will benefit from his offseason program and improve his defense. He has worked extensively with instructors this winter, and in the past few days, Yankees manager Aaron Boone was in the Dominican Republic, partly to see Andujar's progress and spend time with him."  

Source: USA Today

One of the reasons for Boggs's success at third base was his relentless work ethic, something Andujar appears to subscribe to as well.  This unyielding hard work proved to serve Boggs well, earning multiple Gold Gloves to parallel his over 3,000 career hits.

Source: NJ.com

Young Miggie was highly criticized for his lackluster performance at third base despite his magic at the plate.  With the Yankees building their starting rotation with a number of ground ball pitchers, it is essential that Andujar develop his skill set as a premier third baseman if he is going to have longevity at left corner in the Bronx.  And if he is anything like Boggs, he will and his reward will be a long and successful career.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof