Why the Yankees Should Target Mike Olt

By -
As we have known for some time, the Yankees don’t have a legitimate backup for Chase Headley at third base. Not only is there no backup, there is no legitimate candidate for the starting third base job in AAA. The White Sox just recently released former first round pick Mike Olt and here is why the Yankees should pick him up.
Photo Via ESPN
More Minor League Depth and a AAA Third Baseman
The Yankees AAA infield is quite thin so they obviously need quality players to fill those roles. Olt could fill in at third and first base when needed and can provide some pop as he hit nine home runs in 59 games for the Cubs AAA team last year. Having depth never hurts and Olt could fill that role.

Backup Third If Rob Refsnyder Can’t Stick
Refsnyder hasn’t gotten many compliments on his second base defense so it’s very possible that Refsnyder’s defense at third will not be glamorous as well. Refsnyder could end up banishing third all together or going to the minors to get more reps at third. I’m a huge Refsnyder fan and I believe from what I’ve seen that he could handle the backup third base job, but if for some reason he can’t, Olt could step into that role just fine.  

An Injury Occurs
Because it’s baseball, injuries occur all the time and if Headley went down with a long term injury we would be left with no one with a lot of third base experience who could step into the everyday role for the time being. Olt currently has 611 MLB innings at third base so he has experience. While I would prefer a better option to start at third base if such an injury did occur, the Yankees could stick the 27-year-old into the position until they could find a better option.

While Olt has really struggled in the Major Leagues (.168 AVG 16 HR in 352 career at bats), but Olt never the less does have MLB experience. While Olt isn’t the best option for a team, he could still provide solid depth and fill in holes down in the minor leagues.

Article by: Julian Bussells
Follow me on twitter @JuneYank6
Follow the BBB on twitter @BronxBomberBlog

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing Bronx Bomber Bets: BBBets 9/23

By -
Image
Welcome to our new gambling column at BBB, Bronx Bomber Bets. Here we will be giving out some of our favorite picks of the day and sharing them with our readers. Today, we are giving out 10 picks for all of you, so please enjoy, and bet responsibly. Now, we know that not all of our readers are big gamblers, if they are gamblers at all, so for the first week or so that we give out picks we will be explaining the odds and gambling terminology for anyone out there who is looking to learn about sports betting. Here are our picks:
Read more

A third baseball team in NY?

By -
Image
The last time New York had three baseball teams was in 1957. Way before the Mets had their fans wearing paper bags over their heads, NY was home to the Giants and Dodgers. There were many battles between the three as at times, the Giants owned the Yankees and the Yankees owned the Dodgers (some say they still do). They have had their share of memorable moments as the Yankees finally took down the mighty Giants in the world series of 1923 after being beaten by them in 1921 and 1922.
Read more

Opinion: The Yankees missed an opportunity to move on from a manager that has not improved enough

By -
Image
  When new leadership comes into any position it takes some time to make it your own and bring your influence to it. In the case of sports and baseball specifically, people generally say that teams take on the personality of their manager. These few ideas are why I sit here very disappointed that the Yankees decided to not only bring back Aaron Boone but did so with a ringing endorsement by Brian Cashman and a 3-4 year commitment. Going back to those ideas, when Aaron Boone was hired as the manager, he was coming in with no experience and taking over a 91-win team that overachieved the previous year. A team with young talent that just pushed the juggernaut (cheating) Houston Astros to the brink in the 2017 ALCS. A team with all those young players that stepped up in the heat of battle well before anyone expected them to. Boone was brought in and expected to build on that and bring a team that had room to go and still got close to a World Series and get them over the hump. Well, its bee
Read more