The Yankees are a star-studded team, but a lot of their 2008 success will depend on how a number of lesser known players develop. Before the season begins, this blog will profile some of these players and discuss how the team will need them to develop. Today’s player is Juan Miranda.
Miranda is a 24 year old Cuban defector, although some claim to have proof that his age is closer to 26. The first baseman signed a 4 year, $2 million contract in December 2006. He started the year with A Tampa and finished with AA Trenton. In 446 combined at bats, Miranda hit .265 with 16 homers, 96 RBI’s, a .350 on base percentage, and a .471 slugging percentage. This is pretty impressive when one considers his .238/.292/.321 April. As the season went on, he got better. The slow start was likely a result of rust as Miranda had a 2 year layoff while settling immigration issues. As he got back into the swing of things, he began to look more and more like the player the Yanks thought they were getting. He went on to post a .975 OPS in the Arizona Fall League, indicating he could be close to ready for the Majors.
Miranda has a terrific eye at the plate and power to all fields. He hit over .300 in his time in Cuba. As he gets more acclimated to American pitching, his batting average could rise. At this point, he is comparable to a lefty hitting Shelley Duncan. His lack of defensive skills at first base suggests that his best position is DH. Like Duncan, he appears to be a platoon option right now. He hit under .200 against lefty pitching in 2007 and over .270 against righties. His slugging was also 50 points better against righties. Miranda is a difficult player to project for the future. There is a chance that as he gets his timing back after his long layoff, he will improve across the board and become a viable everyday player. There is also the chance that he is really 26 and his development is finished. Any success under this scenario would be the result of beating up against younger and less experienced competition on the minor league level.
Miranda will have a chance to win the first base job out of Spring Training. Although his fielding leaves much to be desired, he will be one of the few natural first basemen in camp. At this point, his competition will come from a pair of third basemen in Morgan Ensberg and Wilson Betemit and a pair of designated hitters in Jason Giambi and Shelley Duncan. With the position in a state of flux, the Yanks would love for Miranda to emerge as an everyday solution. If he does not make the team, Miranda will remain on speed dial and likely will get a chance if the starters do not perform early. With Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui both injury-prone, Juan also could get a callup as either a bat off the bench or a potential platoon partner with Duncan at DH. Miranda is likely to play some role in this team’s season. He might be an unlikely hero in 2008.
