There is a lot of excitement in Yankees camp this year, and
rightfully so, as the newest batch of prospects – some new to the organization –
will be front and center.
Not all of them will pan out. That’s how it works with
prospects. However, the Yankees have enough quality right now that several of
them should become at least solid Big Leaguers, either for NY or someone else.
With all the hype surrounding these guys, it’s easy to
forget about the current players. Take shortstop, for example. Gleyber Torres
is widely considered a Top 10 prospect in the game right now, and the next
great Yankees shortstop. But I’ve been reminding myself that the Yankees have a
pretty good one in place right now – Didi Gregorius.
Gregorius isn’t the sexy name and he had the dubious task of
following Derek Jeter, but he’s also no slouch. He plays excellent defense, and
last season belted 20 HRs as a 26-year old. It’s not like he’s some aging
player keeping the seat warm for the rising star. He’s entering the prime of
his career, and has steadily been improving each season.
There aren’t many shortstops these days with 20-HR power and
great defense.
I’m going to consciously make an effort to enjoy Didi and
appreciate the job he’s done as a Yankee, and hopefully other fans do the same,
instead of just waiting for Torres or Mateo or some other shiny new toy to come
along. It’s ok to be excited about the future, but it’s important to remember
that the present is pretty good too.
Agreed. Didi is a good player
ReplyDeleteHaving too many good shortstops is one of the best problems to have and the Yankees are going to be facing it soon enough. Didi's very good, I agree, especially now that he seems to have been able to find his power stroke that's probably good for 20-25 dingers a year. You'd take that from a SS with plus defense.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. ;) I totally think Didi is a sexy name. In fact... I don't picture a baseball player when I hear the name. I picture a local Hooters girl from about fifteen years ago.
ReplyDelete