The New York Yankees are set to begin Spring Training on February 13th and 16th. Players coming to Tampa on February 13th are participating in the World Baseball Classic. Everyone else arrives on the 16th. While Aaron Judge and new signee Carlos Rodon are going to be generating headlines, those two guys aren’t the big story. The big question heading into spring training is how the Yankees are going to address the left-field position.
Last year, the Yankees trotted out ten different players to play left field. Of the ten players who played at least ten games at the position; Joey Gallo (Twins), Miguel Andujar (Pirates), Tim Locastro (Mets), and Andrew Benintendi (White Sox) are all on new teams. Marwin Gonzalez is now playing in Japan. The players currently on the roster who could play left field are Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, and Estevan Florial. This spring training, the Yankees also decided to bring in Rafael Ortega and Willie Calhoun on minor league deals. Those two players are going to have to turn heads to have a chance at playing time in 2023.
Aaron Hicks
To say that Aaron Hicks was a big disappointment in 2022 is an understatement. He had a slash line of .216/.330/.313. and hit just eight home runs in 130 games. It was the second straight year that Hicks was below average offensively. Making matters worse is that the Yankees still have three years and $30 million remaining on his contract. Since nobody of significance has been brought in, it seems as though Hicks will most likely be in left field come opening day.
One thing playing to his benefit is the elimination of the defensive shift. Whenever Aaron Hicks batted from the left side, teams shifted on him 92.6 percent of the time, the 11th highest in baseball. However, when he batted right-handed, teams only shifted on him 6.5 percent of the time. With Hicks having a pull rate of 47.5 percent, he has an opportunity to bounce back this season. This is all pending on Rafael Ortego and Willie Calhoun’s performances in camp, the Yankees not making a last-minute trade, and Oswaldo Cabrera being used more as a utility player.
Oswaldo Cabrera
After being called up in August, Oswaldo Cabrera acted as a spark plug for the Yankees. In 44 games, Cabrera had a slash line of .247/.312/.429 with six home runs. He also made appearances at every position except center field and catcher. Despite playing just 34 outfield innings in the minors, that is where Cabrera spent most of his time in the bigs. Despite his inexperience, he saved nine defensive runs in 278 2/3 innings.
While it’s very tempting to make Oswaldo Cabrera the everyday left-fielder, this might not be a good idea. As mentioned, Cabrera can play multiple positions. The Yankees would be better off utilizing his skills as a super-utility player. Injuries are going to happen and having someone like Oswaldo Cabrera who can play multiple positions will be key for the Yankees.
Estevan Florial
It appears that 25-year-old Estevan Florial has been stuck in the upper minor leagues forever. I find it hard to not feel bad for him. He’s only appeared in 63 big league games in the last three seasons. During that span, he has only slashed .185/.302/.278 with a single home run! This was all despite slashing .283/.368/481 with 15 home runs and 39 stolen bases at Triple-A last year. He was also at one point on MLB’s top-100 prospects list. He’s out of options now, the Yankees would have to expose him to waivers if they want to take him off the big-league roster. He perhaps could be kept around, but New York hasn’t given him enough of an extended look. It’s doubtful anything changes with him this season.
Giancarlo Stanton
While Giancarlo Stanton has plenty of outfield experience, it predominantly has been in right field. During his time in right field, Stanton registered minus four defensive runs saved. Moving him over to left field wouldn’t improve that statistic. Given his extensive injury history, the Yankees have practically relegated him to be a designated hitter. While Stanton is a great offensive threat, I see him spending most of his time as a DH and playing in the field only occasionally.
Signing Jurickson Profar
The last top remaining free agent left fielder worth signing is Jurickson Profar. While the Yankees had reportedly been in touch with Profar’s representatives, I don’t see them signing him. Had they wanted to sign Profar, they wouldn’t have brought in Willie Calhoun and Rafael Ortega on minor-league deals. He has largely had an up-and-down career and last season he struck out a career-high 103 times and hit just 15 home runs. 15 home runs do not justify striking out over 100 times. He’ll also be approaching his age 30 season creating a lot more questions than answers.s
Trading For Bryan Reynolds
This offseason, the Yankees have been linked to Pittsburgh Pirates star switch-hitting outfielder Bryan Reynolds. On paper, this would be a great trade to make for the Yankees and would fill the left-field need instantly. He also has three years of club control remaining before he hits free agency. However, executing a trade like this gets complicated. Reportedly, the Pirates asking price is a significant haul that would be headlined by a top pitching prospect. The Yankees’ minor league system is top-heavy with position players making deal execution tricky.
Trading For Max Kepler
Another player the Yankees have been linked to is Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler. Kepler is coming off a down year at the plate as he only slashed .227/.318/.348 with just nine home runs. However, he’s a left-handed pull hitter, and the combination of the short porch and the elimination of the shift could boost his numbers.
The biggest value the Yankees would get from Kepler is his defense. While playing in right field, he has saved 19 runs over the past two seasons. The cost to get Kepler would be way less than it would be to get Bryan Reynolds. He’s also under a club-friendly option for another season. While acquiring Max Kepler makes sense, it would make the Yankees wonder about the value of carrying both him and Aaron Hicks. Also, making the transition from Minnesota to a place like New York wouldn’t be easy. I think perhaps there might be some concern about a player transitioning from a smaller market after the Joey Gallo experience.
The Yankees Have Options
The Yankees have a few different options they can do to try to solve their left-field issue. If the Yankees can’t get another left fielder, it makes sense for them to begin the year with Aaron Hicks. With the new rules favoring left-handed hitters, the Yankees should at least see if Hicks can bounce back. I could also see them using Hicks and Oswaldo Cabrera in a platoon as well. They also can perhaps trade for one at the trade deadline like they did last year.
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