Pinstripe Preview: Tyler Austin
Tyler Austin’s’ short time in the big leagues had many highs and
lows. One of the most memorable at-bats
of last season was Austin and Aaron Judge hitting back to back home runs in
their first at-bats in the big leagues. Austin demonstrated rare opposite field
hitting last season and will continue to develop as a strong overall hitter as
he becomes more comfortable in the MLB.
Austin started the season in the
Triple-A where he was expected to stay for the most part of the season until
the rosters expanded. However, with injuries to Mark Teixeira and the
inconsistency of Rob Refsnyder at first, the Yankees called him up a little
earlier than most expected. He started
out fairly hot but then faced the common rookie struggles at the plate. However, what is most important about his
rookie season is that he showed he was capable of making adjustments and
finishing the season on a relatively high note. His first big moment was his home run on his first at bat, but his signature Yankee moment to date was
the walk off home run against the division rival Rays. He only played in 31
games but if you project his numbers to a full season, the numbers averaged out to be pretty solid. Over the course of a whole season, he was on pace to have 26 home runs and 63 RBIs. Those are some promising numbers for a 25-year-old rookie.
The former 13th round pick showed hope that he may one day but an every day starter in the future.
The former 13th round pick showed hope that he may one day but an every day starter in the future.
2017 Outlook
Before the Yankees signed slugger Chris Carter, Austin was in place to fight for the starting first base job with Greg Bird. Had he lost the competition, he would have likely provided rest days for Matt Holliday and
allowed Bird to get some time at the DH. Austin's 2017 will definitely be interesting now that there is even more competition for his playing time.
Carter may not eat into Austin's plans and playing time in 2017, but that may not be a bad thing. Sometimes young players need someone on their back pushing them to work harder, and Carter can also serve as a mentor to both Austin and Bird. Chris Carter is by no means the Yankees future fist baseman as this season is all about our prospects continuing developing. Austin may get less at-bats this season, but he will still get plenty of opportunity to continue perfecting his game.
All in all, Tyler Austin's future with this team looks promising on the surface, but he still has some growing to do this season.
Carter may not eat into Austin's plans and playing time in 2017, but that may not be a bad thing. Sometimes young players need someone on their back pushing them to work harder, and Carter can also serve as a mentor to both Austin and Bird. Chris Carter is by no means the Yankees future fist baseman as this season is all about our prospects continuing developing. Austin may get less at-bats this season, but he will still get plenty of opportunity to continue perfecting his game.
All in all, Tyler Austin's future with this team looks promising on the surface, but he still has some growing to do this season.
Article by: Ben Bell
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