New York Yankees vs. a comparable roster of players the same age
By Ed Stein
Infielders
DJ LeMahieu (30): Gil McDougald – There are lots of comparisons to be drawn between LeMahieu and McDougald. They can play any infield position and do it well. Additionally, their on-base, slugging, and OPS are almost identical. LeMahieu is a superior hitter with a career .302 batting average, which is 22 points higher, but if you asked him, he’d rather have the four World Series rings that McDougald had by age 30.
Gleyber Torres (22): Cal Ripken Jr. – Wow, Gleyber is in some rarefied air. By the time Ripken was 22, he had been the American League Rookie of the Year, MVP, and won a World Series. He went on to win another MVP seven years later. Baseball fans know of Ripken’s career achievements. It’s not fair to put those expectations on Torres, but very few would be surprised by him winning an MVP or two plus some World Series rings in the next decade.
Miguel Andujar (25): Geoff Jenkins – It’s tough to measure up a player like Andujar, who has only one full season under his belt. To be optimistic about Andujar’s future, Jenkins had an 11-year MLB career. He finished with a .834 OPS, made an All-Star team, and won a World Championship.
Gio Urshela (27): Aaron Boone – This is another surprise. No wonder the New York Yankees skipper likes Urshella so much.
Luke Voit (28): Troy Neel. Neel had a very good three year MLB career before heading to Japan.