The Player on the New York Yankees That Should See More Playing Time
May 21, 2013 · Colin Kennedy · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
During a young season in which five different players have made their major league debut for the team, it isn’t easy to determine which player on the New York Yankees is deserving of more playing time.
Because frankly, the Bronx Bombers are fortunate to be fielding any sort of team at this point.
But 44 games into the campaign, it may be possible to begin deciphering which former no-names possess a future role with the club, and which can be forgotten.
And David Adams shouldn’t be forgotten.
The sample size is minuscule. Heck, it hasn’t even been a week since he made his major league debut against the Seattle Mariners.
However, five games might be enough to suggest that David Adams has earned a chance for significant playing time at third base.
At the current time, the Yankees have enough injuries to field an All-Star team with their disabled list.
I say this quite literally, in fact, because New York’s total annual salary of the 11 injured players it currently possesses exceeds the entire payroll of 16 MLB teams.
Two of those 11 names on the DL represent third baseman in deteriorating condition. Alex Rodriguez just incurred his second major hip surgery at the age of 37, and Kevin Youkilis is suffering from a spinal sprain at the age of 34.
Neither situation is promising for the future. And both could be out until after the All-Star break.
So why not let the 26-year-old Adams try to hold down the hot corner for a while?
Of course, it’s easy for me to say when the kid is batting .333 with a home run and two RBI in just five career games.
But it’s not like the Yankees have many better options at this point.
They can let Jayson Nix and Reid Brignac platoon at shortstop while Derek Jeter continues to rehab a broken ankle, and give Lyle Overbay more playing time at first while Mark Teixeira continues his recovery.
That way, the versatile infielder, Adams, can settle in at third base on an everyday basis, where he seems most comfortable.
The University of Virginia graduate batted an impressive .316 in 29 games with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre last season, and was arguably in position to make the team out of spring training before the Yankees acquired Vernon Wells and needed room on the 40-man roster.
The veteran acquisition, coupled with Adams’ history of injuries, forced New York to cut the right-hander in March before re-signing him to a minor league deal just days later.
Less than two months have passed since the infielder was released by the Yankees, and Adams wakes up Tuesday morning having hit his first career Major League home run.
His defensive stability and ability to see several pitches every at-bat only strengthen his case for this team’s everyday third baseman.
According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN, Adams himself claims that his bat is his greatest asset, so what does New York really have to lose as they sit surprisingly atop the AL East at this point in the season?
Like I said before: for once, the Yankees don’t have many options.
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