Miguel Andujar and infield coach Carlos Mendoza were on the field before virtually anyone else prior to Wednesday’s wild-card game, just like they’ve been for every home game this season as the two try to refine Andujar’s defense at third base.
“We do it every day,’’ Mendoza said before the Yankees faced the A’s for the right to advance to the ALDS. “Right around 3:30, he’s ready to go.”
Even on a day like Wednesday, with the season on the line, there was little activity around Andujar, as Mendoza hit grounders to the rookie.
“Some days we work on double plays, other times it’s his backhand or charging balls,’’ Mendoza said. “It started when he was in the minors. When he was at Double-A [Trenton] and Triple-A [Scranton/Wilkes-Barre] and I was the [minor league infield] coordinator, whenever I was around we did it. But he was out there no matter what, making sure the work was done.”
The results, clearly, have been mixed. Andujar’s standout season, which made him a favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year — alongside the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani and perhaps teammate Gleyber Torres — has been marred somewhat by his 15 errors. That’s more than all but two third basemen in the AL, Boston’s Rafael Devers (24) and Oakland’s Matt Chapman (20).
“The experience he got this year will definitely help him in the playoffs,’’ Mendoza said. “Yeah, his clock needs work and sometimes he thinks he has more time than he really does, but not too long ago, people didn’t know if he was going to be able to catch it and throw it. He’s still learning.”
And the early work is a major part of that.
“It can be hard when you’re out there during BP, when there are balls flying all around,’’ Mendoza said. “For him to get work done, it’s better when there’s nothing else going on and I think it’s helped a lot.”
Still, the Yankees continue to have enough questions about Andujar’s defense that he was frequently pulled late in games for defensive purposes, replaced by Neil Walker or Adeiny Hechavarria. That happened less often, though, in the final two weeks of the regular season.
“As a competitor, you want to be in there the whole time,’’ Mendoza said. “He wants to be out there. That’s the kind of guy he is. That’s the next step, to make him dependable enough where that doesn’t happen anymore. I’m confident we’re gonna get there. Every time a ball is hit to him, I feel confident he’s gonna make the play. We just want him to be prepared. That’s all we ask of him.”
