Two unheralded Yankees prospects make impressive spring debuts

Miguel Andujar may not be a common household name to fans, but the Yankees are quite familiar with the makeup of their third base prospect. The 21-year-old Dominican spent time in both High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton last season, hitting a combined .273/.332/.410 with 12 home runs and 83 RBI in 130 games. He made his spring training debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday afternoon, going 2-for-2 with an RBI triple and run scored. Manager Joe Girardi has noticed Andujar's tools. "Just his ability," Girardi told NJ Advance Media. "You watch him and the adjustments. He was in Double-A as a young kid. You think about how young some of our kids were that in Double-A, playing everyday. The (Tyler) Wades, the (Dustin) Fowlers, the Andujars. This kid's got a lot of potential and he's got power to all fields, he can run the bases, he's got a very good arm. For him, I think it's more reps. I look at him and say he's going to be a big league player, he just needs more reps." Another unfamiliar face to fans this spring is 26-year-old catcher Kyle Higashioka, who made his presence known in 2016 with a burst of power at the plate. Between Double-A and Triple-A Scranton, he hit .276/.337/.511 with 22 home runs and 81 RBI in 102 games. Much like Andujar, Higashioka also debuted with a bang on Friday, crushing a solo home run that went out of George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Despite his old age as a prospect, the Yankees believe in Higashioka's power and his exceptional ability behind the dish in catcher's gear. "This kid’s coming, too. Here’s another kid that was drafted, young player here in the organization," Girardi told NJ Advance Media. "Maybe he didn’t get to where he wanted to get to at a certain point he had envisioned. Went through an arm injury, came back. But he’s really put himself on the radar and he’s going to catch in the big leagues, too, at some point. I really believe. He’s going to be a big-league player. He burst onto the scene last year."

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