The guys at River Ave. Blues have a great
profile up of a Yankee farmhand some of you may not have heard of, Juan Miranda.
I
saw Miranda play in Trenton earlier this year when I made the road trip with my brother to catch Phil Hughes make a rehab start, and he hit the cover off the ball that night. I wasn't sure if I just caught him on a good day, if the Cuban defector was actually a 34 year-old playing against 19 year-old kids, or is he was the real deal. The guys at RAB have an interesting angle: Shelley Duncan kills left-handed pitching (.303/.378/.606 with 3 HR and 10 RBI in 33 at bats), Miranda's splits vs. righties were more than impressive in the AFL, (4 HRs, 12 RBIs, and a 1.268 OPS). Maybe the Yanks have a productive platoon in the making?
I agree Brian, He's definitly worth a look. Who knows he could turn out to be a solution at 1st.
I wouldn't be surprised to see the Yanks go with a Mientkiwicz/Duncan platoon because of M's defense. They have enough O.
Doug is a free agent, and I don't think they're bringing him back. Right now, it looks like Betemit/Shelley/Giambi/Phillips or any combination thereof for first base, but it'd be nice to get another young bat in the mix (if he's actually young).
But wasn't M-man brought to the Yanks because of his relationship with A-Rod? Same thing could happen this year. I don't think any of the players you mentioned provides the defense that the Yanks need at first base. All of their infielders have been known to be erratic from time to time, having a solid defensive first baseman over there should be a priority.