Who could be this year’s Jake Bauers for the Yankees?
The story of Jake Bauers’ tenure with the Yankees was an interesting one. The Yankees picked up him from Cincinnati for cash considerations on June 3rd, 2022. As with most of their minor league acquisitions, there must have been something the Yankees liked about him. Sure enough, the Yankees’ development team was able to amplify the traits they saw.
They made some swing adjustments, and he went from a .183 hitter with a .657 OPS in Triple-A in 2022 to a .359/.485/.897/1.382 quad slash in 2023. He had already hit 11 homeruns in 24 games by the time the Yankees needed him in the major leagues. Once promoted, he had an 11-game stretch where we all thought he was going to be the answer to the offensive woes the team was facing. After that, he slowly faded and finished the season with less than stellar numbers.
After the season, he maintained some value. The Yankees were able to trade him to the Brewers for two legitimate prospects, Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez. Considering how they acquired Bauers, the production and subsequent trade return the Yankees got out of him were more than anyone could have expected.
This is not the first time Cashman has found a diamond in the rough and turned lemons into lemonade, and it won’t be the last. This begs the question, who have the Yankees acquired this year that could be the next in line?
The conversation starts with Oscar Gonzalez. The Yankees claimed Oscar off waivers from the Guardians this offseason. Gonzalez can hit for power and makes more than enough contact. He’s a solid outfielder at the corners and is just one season removed from a year when he hit .296/.327/.461/.789 with 11 homeruns in 91 games as a 24-year-old for the Guardians. He struck out just 75 times in 91 games.
Gonzalez is still just 26-years-old, and he came to Spring Training looking as good as ever. In 18 games he has hit .318/.362/.523/.884 with a homerun, four doubles, a triple, and just nine strikeouts in 18 games. With what appears to be a renewed focus on hitting the ball hard rather than trying to hit homeruns, Gonzalez could prove useful to the Yankees this year.
Jahmai Jones was also claimed off waivers by the Yankees, this time from the Brewers. Jones is a second baseman and a former second-round pick by the LA Angels. Jahmai’s career has yet to take off up to this point, but he has potential as an athletic middle infielder with some power and speed. Jones, also just 26-years-old, has found some success in Spring Training as well. He has hit .280/.419/.480/899 with a homerun and two doubles in 12 games. He has struck out just seven times so far and has stolen a base. With some minor adjustments, Jones could turn into the next good find.
Jordan Groshans is a third baseman who was drafted in the 1st round, 12th overall pick in 2018 by the Blue Jays. He was subsequently traded to the Marlins and was designated for assignment this offseason. Groshans, still just 24-years-old, has been a top 100 prospect three times, and even broached the top 50 twice. He has tremendous bat speed, has the ability to barrel the baseball, and can generate good backspin when he’s at his best.
His amazing potential has not yet materialized at the highest levels. He hit .244/.339/.330/.669 with six homeruns and 20 doubles in 125 games in Triple-A last year. The Yankees development team has been good at getting the most out of players with big tools. They managed to sneak him through waivers this year, so they’ll have all season to work their magic. With the kind of tools Groshans possesses, they could turn him into a major league asset with the right changes.
There were several other minor league acquisitions this offseason who could pop. Kevin Smith, Jose Rojas, Jeter Downs, and JC Escarra strike me as players with more potential than they have realized so far.
There are quite a few players who will begin the year in the Yankees’ minor league system who could turn into the next Jake Bauers. We all hope the Yankees don’t end up needing them, but injuries tend to rear their ugly heads at some point. There may be more than meets the eye on a couple of them, and hopefully they can step up if/when the Yankees need them most.