The Yankees tweaked their roster over the offseason, electing to make more marginal moves rather than big free-agent splashes in response to another early playoff exit.
The fallout resulted in Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez in Minnesota, Luke Voit in San Diego, and Tyler Wade with the Angels. Three of those four were once big-time contributors to previous Yankee teams, but after prolonged slumps, injury concerns, or an anticipated decline, Brian Cashman and company elected to move on from all four players before the 2022 campaign.
Was that the right decision? It is way, way too early to tell, but here is how those former Yanks are faring in the very early going this season:
Voit, the league’s home run leader in 2020 before laboring through four different IL stints last season, is struggling early on in his Padres tenure. So far, he has six hits in 36 at-bats, just one of them for extra bases, and has struck out 16 times, all totaling up to a .167 batting average and a .194 slugging percentage. Voit has managed to get on base via nine walks, but his 48.4 swing and miss percentage so far this season is certainly eye-opening.
Urshela has been solid for the Twins so far, logging eight hits, including a home run, in 27 at-bats, adding up to a .296 batting average and a 126 OPS+, a noticeable improvement after finishing last season below league-average in that department with a 96 OPS+. Urshela has struck out just three times, five times less than Josh Donaldson’s 15 punchouts, as the new Yankee third baseman has largely struggled at the plate in his new surroundings, but a home run and a double in the final two games of the Baltimore series could be a reason for optimism.
Sanchez started his Twins tenure with a monster grand slam, but so far, he has shown similar feast-or-famine tendencies as he did for the last four years of his Yankee tenure. So far this season, he has six hits in 29 at-bats with 12 strikeouts, good for a .207 batting average and a .626 OPS, which would be the lowest of his Yankee career in a full season (he posted a .618 OPS in the shortened 2020 campaign). Defensively, he has caught five games so far, and is currently posting his best numbers in the DRS department since his rookie year in 2016.
Despite Sanchez’s hitting woes, he would currently be a significant improvement over Kyle Higashioka, who is 3-for-25 with no walks and six strikeouts in his first season as the Yankees’ regular starter. His OPS+ is an abysmal -18.
Now, to the surprise development. Wade, the former Yankee speedster who couldn’t capitalize on that speed due to struggles of getting on base, is on fire out of the gate with the Angels, slashing .360/.385/.440 in 25 at-bats. He has stolen two bases but has been caught stealing twice, and already has two doubles, nearing his 2021 mark of five, the highest of his career. Wade showed some promise last season at the plate, posting a career-high 90 OPS+, which was still above league average and looks a lot better when you consider his .297 batting average in the second half of last season. It appears he has carried that momentum across the country at his new home.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch