How does Nick Swisher fit into the 2016 Yankees?
Nick Swisher is hitting like a man among boys in Triple-A. Since being officially signed on April 14, Swish is hitting a ridiculous .381/.440/.571 in 21 at bats for Scranton. The Indians and Braves are collectively paying him $15M to not play for their teams, so they clearly thought he was finished, but Swisher seems rejuvenated to be back in pinstripes, even if they are the Triple-A kind. The Yankees signed Swisher to a minor league contract with a player opt-out on June 15 because he had low-risk with high-reward. The Yankees would only be forced to make a decision on Swisher if he hit. Well, he’s hitting… so now what?
Assuming Swisher keeps producing in Scranton, even if it isn’t at his current pace, Brian Cashman will have a difficult decision on whether or not to call the veteran up. When looking at the current Yankees roster, there are only two players that are expendable – barring an injury – for Swisher: Aaron Hicks and Dustin Ackley. I almost feel foolish writing that Hicks could be released to make room for Swisher because the Yankees just traded for the 26-year-old former first round pick from Minnesota. In theory, Hicks can provide value to the Yankees as a fourth outfielder who will see regular playing time for the next few seasons. As I just said, he’s only 26, and under team control through 2020. Not to mention, he can do this:
.@AaronHicks31, on a ROPE. https://t.co/mJOIfgdkFa pic.twitter.com/KhTSKLP1n7
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 21, 2016
...and this:
Watcher on the wall. https://t.co/XuhLoBXp6D pic.twitter.com/euGNcvchTC — MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) April 22, 2016
However, there is the small fact that he is not hitting – not even a little bit. So far on the season he’s 2-for-21 (.095) and until last night did not have a hit batting right handed, his big drawing card. How long can the Yankees play a guy who is giving them nothing offensively? [insert Stephen Drew joke] Yes Drew got nearly 400 at-bats for the Yankees last season, which is insane, but he did crank 17 home runs. I’m not saying he was a positive offensive factor, but he wasn’t a complete zero either, and right now Aaron Hicks is. I do expect Hicks to start hitting. He’s a career .221 hitter, which isn’t great, but the back of the baseball card theory tells me he will start hitting. I expect Hicks to be on the roster for the long haul, which brings me to Dustin Ackley.
If you’re Dustin Ackley, you have to be getting nervous. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has a Swisher voodoo doll in his locker, because with every hit Swisher tallies in Triple-A, the end for Ackley gets closer. Ackley has only appeared in 3 games for the Yankees in 2016 and does not have a hit in 7 at-bats. He’s a left-handed bat on a team with a lot of good left-handed bats, and does not excel at any position defensively. When he started at first base in Detroit he looked uncomfortable, not quite ARod uncomfortable, but definitely uncomfortable. For those reasons, Ackley is the odd man out. The realization I’ve come to is that Ack does not have a place on this team unless he starts raking, which seems highly unlikely considering he isn’t even getting the opportunities to play. Right now Swisher is proving he has something left in the tank. If Cashman agrees, he will be forced to either release Ackley or trade him -- something I'm not sure the Yankees are prepared to do.