At a time when the Yankees are desperate to improve their offensive force, they are failing to keep power bats in their farm system. The latest example is infielder Andres Chaparro, who surpassed many regular players at first and third base but let walk away as a free agent.
The player could have been solved the Yankees’ need for offensive output from their corner infield positions in 2024. According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Chaparro has inked a deal with the Diamondbacks.
A talent drain for the Yankees
In his inaugural season in Triple-A in 2023, Chaparro achieved a career-high with 25 home runs and 89 RBIs, surpassing the offensive contributions from the Yankees’ first and third base players. Despite the 24-year-old slugger’s impressive performance, the Yankees quietly allowed him to opt for free agency on November 7.
The Yankees‘ third basemen collectively posted a slash line of .221/.294/.361 with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs last season. Their first baseman performed slightly better, with a slash line of .234/.316/.369, contributing 21 home runs and 61 RBIs. In contrast, Chaparro boasted a slash line of .247/.331/.444, presenting a significant improvement for a team that concluded the season with an 82-80 record, marking their worst performance since 1992.
But the Yankees refrain from promoting Chaparro. The reason for it remains somewhat elusive, but a cursory examination of his stat sheet reveals a batter with a relatively high strikeout percentage (21.8). This, however, wouldn’t have dissuaded the Yankees, considering their own 23.9 strikeout percentage, ranking 21st in MLB.
At 23 years old, Chaparro has enjoyed three consecutive successful seasons after a relatively unremarkable start to his career, which included a year without play due to the complete cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season amid the COVID pandemic. In the initial four seasons from 2016 to 2019, he hit 17 homers in 745 at-bats. In contrast, he showcased a significant improvement with 60 homers in 619 at-bats over the last three seasons.
Despite his consistent performance, Chaparro did not find himself ranked among the top 30 Yankees prospects on MLB Pipeline. Nonetheless, he remains indifferent to such rankings.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
This will turn out to be a big mistake by the Yankees. From what I have read and researched from different sources, this kid is the real deal. They should have given him a shot in 2023. Either way, I wish him the best.
Go back to Boston Joe Don’t Know
You never saw him! You know nothing!