Yankees American League Wild Card Lineup Forecast

Robert Refsnyder needs his defense at second base to match his bat this postseason. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Second Base: Robert Refsnyder

Other Options: Stephen Drew, Dustin Ackley, Brendan Ryan

Analysis: Now this is a tricky call because second base has been an issue all year. Ever since we lost Robinson Cano to the Seattle Mariners two years ago, we have struggled to find consistency at this position. Cano was unique in that he brought both good defense and good at-bats to the position. Now we have options that only give us one or the other.

Brendan Ryan and Stephen Drew are both just mediocre at the plate but solid defensively at second base. Drew has shown flashes of being a decent hitter by hitting clutch homeruns in pivotal spots, but then doing awful at other times. Ackley is decent at both hitting and defense at second base, but isn’t someone we really see as starting material long-term or with our playoff hopes on the line.

Thus, we turn to Refsnyder, who is an up and coming infield prospect who we hope is the future at second base. He is learning the ropes at second base by playing in the minors most of this year and now has been starting at second base most of this week to end this season. He seems to be a great hitter, and even if his defense lacks at times, he always finds a way to make up for it at the plate.

I know defense wins championships, but in this case we only need to win one game to get to the next round, and I think Refsynder is more than capable of handling one game at second base, and helping hit our way into the next round. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Stephen Drew though either next Tuesday because of his defense, but as of right now I feel the Yankee’s feel more confident going with Refsnyder.

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