Miguel Andujar Has Quietly Become Important to the Athletics
Miguel Andujar has found new life with the Athletics over the past few seasons, as he has become an integral piece to their lineup.
The career arc for Miguel Andujar has been quite the roller coaster. The former top prospect in the Yankees organization went from hitting 27 home runs as a rookie in 2018 to being a contact-oriented hitter with the Athletics.
In between that time, in which he’s only his 19 total home runs, Andujar was the hypothetical center piece of every Yankees fans big brain trades, a minor league player, labeled a bust, and not good enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, since joining the Athletics last season, Andujar has finally settled into a role and is playing it well. Now 30 years of age and set to hit free agency, Andujar is trending toward the type of player who could help a contender. Not in a hypothetical trade like he was once attached to, either.
Andujar’s Success with the Athletics
The Athletics love scooping players off waivers and giving them a lot of run. Although it is not a high percentage game, sometimes you hit. After being claimed off waivers last season, Andujar went on to slash .285/.320/.377 good for a 103 wRC+, enough for the A’s to keep him in their plans for 2025.
Although the power we saw in 2018 proved not to be true, Andujar has found a way to provide value by leaning into a contact-first approach. I’m not sure what the Athletics did with Andujar, but the numbers speak for themselves. In his first season with the A’s, Andujar’s zone contact rate jumped 5% up to 93%. This season he’s at 92%, 10% above league average.
A number of factors could be in play, but you have to think that an opportunity for everyday at-bats had to help. After bouncing up and down through the minors and different organizations, having a clear runway to allow Andujar to go through ups and downs without the threat of being demoted helped him string together the best version of himself – a contact hitter.
Where Andujar has really excelled has been against velocity. On fastballs, Andujar is hitting .301 with only a 9.1% whiff rate. This coming after a season where he hit .325 with a 9.4% whiff rate on fastballs.
He’s also put up some ridiculous numbers against left-handed pitching. A .411/.459/.536 slash last season and .417/.440/.583 this year against southpaws. Small sample size? Sure, 86 at-bats is not large enough to cement him as a certified lefty masher, but he’s on the right track.
Andujar’s success against lefties is in large part due to his ability to capitalize on off-speed pitches. Lefties will often go to a changeup in order to attack righties, but Andujar makes it difficult to rely on your off-speed pitches. After hitting .300 on off-speed pitches last season, he’s at .692 to start the year.
His righty bat has helped balance the Athletics roster, which has been lefty-heavy at times over the past two seasons. Holding down left field was his first assignment, but as the A’s roster continued to evolve, Andujar was tasked with a change.
Andujar Leaning into Versatility
When the A’s called up top prospect Nick Kurtz a roster jam took place. Kurtz, a first baseman, and fellow first baseman Tyler Soderstrom were a bit redundant with no place to go considering Brent Rooker manned DH. In a game of musical chairs, Soderstrom moved to left and Andujar shifted to third, the position he played when he debuted in 2018.
Although he logged 136 games at third way back in 2018, Andujar had only seen 14 games at third since, with the last coming in 2021. However, he did not bat an eye and helped fill a massive hole at the hot corner in order to get the best bats in the lineup.
Moving to third allowed Luis Urias to shift to second and hold down the position until Zach Gelof returns. Might not seem like a big deal, but the A’s did not have an answer at third, and Andujar dusting off his infield glove has made the lineup more threatening and has given manager Mark Kotsay an answer to one of his biggest questions.
The added versatility will also help Andujar. While his defense at third has been shaky, getting more reps should help him settle in. Since the A’s are once again trending toward a last-place finish in the AL West, Andjuar becomes a trade chip that could net a mid-tier or flier prospect come the deadline.
Teams are almost always looking for someone who can hit lefties and play multiple positions. Considering Andujar can also play first and corner outfield, it comes at a low cost both in money due and prospect capital, he could be on the move. The A’s need more in the farm system, and even a flier prospect would be a welcome addition.
Final Thoughts
I think we can all agree that we had written Andujar off. Being trapped, for lack of a better term, in the Yankees system did not do him any favors. After not earning more of a role in Pittsburgh, I thought his playing days would be numbered.
To see him find a role and excel at it with the Athletics has been refreshing. Players do not often get a chance to recreate themselves and find new life. Andujar’s journal back to being a productive baseball player is an example of one of my favorite things in this game – redemption.
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