The New York Yankees are set to promote two of their top prospects this week. Here’s what fans can expect from the upcoming call-ups.
If you’re a person with at least a passing interest in baseball, then you already know about the dire situation the Yankees are in. After being swept by the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the Yankees’ losing streak is now at eight games. That’s the team’s longest losing streak since 1995. And as of August 21, the team is nine games out of the last wild card spot. There aren’t many stats to feel optimistic about, either. Thanks to the Yankees’ losing streak. The team has now allowed more runs than scored on the season. For those who may be new to baseball, that’s not good.
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Amidst the chaotic and disappointing Yankees’ season, one thing remains certain; the team’s fans will not take this lying down. While manager Aaron Boone initially took the brunt of the blame, fans have since turned their ire onto general manager Brian Cashman. Lifelong Yankees fan Jon Borowski has organized a “Fire Cashman Night” for the team’s September 22nd home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Borowski is a member of a group affectionately called “The Bleacher Creatures.” Borowski has urged his fellow Yankees fans to show up and voice their displeasure for Cashman’s performance as GM.
In a long-awaited move, Jack Curry of the YES Network reported that the team would promote top prospects Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza before the Yankees game on Tuesday. It’s doubtful that the moves will spark a dramatic and historic playoff push from the team. However, the promotions clearly show that the Yankees are already approaching 2024.
What Pereira and Peraza Can Offer
The Yankees have been embarrassingly bad in the second half of the season. But the team’s offense has been underperforming well before the All-Star break. Giancarlo Stanton is now hitting below .200 on the season. The usually reliable hitter DJ LeMahieu is hitting .240, a far cry from his .293 career batting average. With Pereira, the Yankees may have found an answer to their lackluster offensive production from the outfield. Pereira has raked at every level he’s played this season. Pereira hit .312 in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during his call-up with an OPS of .937. At 22 years old, Pereira also features a good burst of speed. His quickness is much needed for a team that has sometimes struggled on the basepaths.
Peraza made his MLB debut in 2022, where he played pretty well. In 18 games, he hit .306 and collected 15 hits. He made the Yankees’ roster out of spring training to start this season, but Peraza struggled mightily. He hit just .173 in 19 games before the team demoted him to Triple-A. It could be argued that the team gave up on the young infielder too soon this season. With just three weeks’ worth of games under his belt, Pereza couldn’t hit his way out of the early season slump. Instead, the Yankees relied on Josh Donaldson to randomly find the fountain of youth and reclaim his MVP form from almost a decade ago.
Pereira and Peraza will each work wonderfully as table setters for the rest of the team. The top prospects will likely hit the bottom third of the lineup. Complimented with fellow rookie Anthony Volpe, the trio will inject a needed shot of adrenaline into a stale offense.
Brian Cashman And The Future Of The Team’s Top Prospects
One of the Yankees fans’ biggest complaints against Cashman has been his reluctance to give the team’s top prospects a chance for most of the season. Meanwhile, groups like the Los Angeles Angels have turned to their youth to try and light a spark. The Angels recently promoted first baseman Nolan Schanuel, their 21-year-old prospect. Granted, the Yankees have been forced into an awkward position thanks to its aging and underperforming core. But Cashman and the rest of the front office seemed complacent to give at-bats to players with little future with the team. Players like Aaron Hicks, Jake Bauers, Billy McKinney, and Josh Donaldson have all received abundant playing time this season.
Like many teams, the Yankees seem more concerned about maintaining player control instead of fielding their best potential squad. Players like Pereira and Peraza have each shown the talent to make an impact at the significant league level all season. The Yankees may be looking at a different playoff picture had they leaned into their youth movement earlier in the season. Hindsight is 20/20, but the Yankees’ front office is finally looking to 2024 and beyond.
Main Photo Credits: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
