In the past, the New York Yankees often built their roster around big spending of top free agents. But recent years have seen the farm system produce some of the best stars in the game.

Luis Severino, the franchise ace, burst onto the scene in 2015 and proved he had the tools to succeed on a daily basis. After a rough 2016 where he was forced to the bullpen, Severino bounced back nicely in 2017, finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. Severino is clearly one of the best young pitchers in the game. Catcher Gary Sanchez was a force to be reckoned with after debuting in the summer of 2016. Finishing second to Michael Fulmer for American League Rookie of the Year honors, Sanchez set the record for fewest games played (45) to reach 19 homers. Aaron Judge, a 6-foot-7 behemoth, was criticized by analysts across the league for his lack of “vision” and tendency to strike out at an alarming rate. While the second statement was somewhat true, Judge put together one of the best rookie seasons by any player in MLB history. Hitting .284 with 52 home runs and 114 RBI, Judge finished the season second in the MVP voting (behind Jose Altuve) and walking away as the unanimous Rookie of the Year. But if you thought the embarrassment of riches for the Yankees youth movement was over, you were wrong. As we enter the 2018 season, another Yankee prospect is showing the potential to follow in the footsteps of his successful teammates.

Signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, Miguel Andujar has always been one of the Yankees top prospects. He has demonstrated his advanced ability with the bat across all levels of the minor leagues. Slashing a .274/.323/.412 line over his six registered years, Andujar has constantly forced GM Brian Cashman’s hand to move him to the next level. In 2016, the third baseman helped lead the Scranton Wilks-Barre Railriders to the Governors’ Cup title and Triple-A Baseball National Championship Game. Cashman has been reluctant to include Andujar in any trade discussions, and it appears the time is now for that decision to pay off.

On June 28th, Andujar received a call-up to the majors following Matt Holliday being placed on the disabled list. In his debut game against the Chicago White Sox, he went 3-4 with four RBI and a walk which broke the Yankees’ all-time record for most RBI by a player in his first career game. From that moment on, Andujar had future superstar labeled all over him. Unfortunately for the prospect, the Yankees immediately sent him back to Triple A where he finished out the season with a very respectable .317/.364/.502 line.

Fast forward to March of 2018 and Miguel Andujar is currently the hottest player in Spring Training. With his role on the team still in question for Opening Day, Andujar is making his case to win the third-base job. Hitting .412 with 4 HR and 7 RBI at the moment, the rookie has shown serious discipline and pop that will allow him to achieve greatness in the Bronx. With newly acquired Brandon Drury also performing exceptionally well, the odd-man-out just might be one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Gleyber Torres. The most likely scenario is the Yankees will keep Torres in the minors and allow Andujar to take over the everyday work at the hot corner.

There is a plethora of talented, young players who will be making their debuts this season. In the American League alone, Shohei Ohtani, Eloy Jimenez, Francisco Mejia and Gleyber Torres all have the most probable odds of coming away with the Rookie of the Year award. But with his skill set and hitting in baseball’s best lineup, there is no reason why Andujar shouldn’t be a focal point of this conversation. Although his defensive abilities are somewhat lacking, Miguel Andujar will be the best offensive rookie in 2018.