Go Urshela is long past the “fluke” concerns.
After bursting onto the scene in 2019 as the face of the Yankees’ “Next Man Up” group, Urshela has been one of the only members of that movement who has proven himself to have staying power, and the Yankees were reminded of that again on Friday night.
Out of the starting lineup after battling knee soreness, Urshela was called upon to pinch hit in the top of the seventh inning as the go-ahead run with the Yanks down by two. Urshela, after working a 2-2 count and fouling off four straight pitches, smacked a home run to right center to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead, once again coming through in a big spot as Urshela continues to be one of the team’s most consistent producers in a season where it’s been desperately needed.
“A lot of his game goes unnoticed, which is crazy,” Aaron Judge said of Urshela after Friday’s heroics. “He’ll have a sneaky three-hit night or a two-hit night with a big double play for us. He’s just a consistent, all-around player. The defensive plays he makes for us, being able to play shortstop and third base in the big leagues is impressive.”
Many still wondered if Urshela was capable of those kind of contributions, even after a breakout 2019 campaign where he hit 21 home runs and slashed .314/.355/.534 over 132 games. But Urshela, who had posted an OPS of just .589 with eight career home runs in the first 167 games of his career, showed in 2020 that his 2019 season was no fluke, putting up an .858 OPS while batting .298 and maintaining his identity as a clutch hitter, never more apparent than his grand slam in game two of the Wild Card round.
“He has been an absolute glue guy for us,” Aaron Boone said.
“He’s hit everywhere in the order for us and gotten a lot of big hits, and obviously has made a lot of great defensive plays as well.”
Urshela has indeed been one of the team’s best defensive infielders since 2019, when he was purchased from the Blue Jays as a depth piece. Now, he looks like an absolute steal still three years out from free agency.
After last night’s home run, Urshela’s fifth of the season, his batting average is up to .298 with an .829 OPS, still producing and coming up big in now his third season in pinstripes.
“He’s a lot like DJ [LeMahieu],” Judge said. “He comes up with the big hits and is just ready to work every single day.”
Urshela’s maintaining of his 2019 production may be even more surprising than his initial breakout, except to those who have watched him up close since before he made his unexpected arrival. Urshela is way past “fluke” talks, and is here to stay as one of the Yankees’ most important pieces.
“He’s a really good player,” Boone said. “That’s all we’ve ever seen from him. When we saw him for the first time in spring training of 2019, I just remember right away how impressive he was offensively and defensively and he hasn’t stopped.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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