For Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians, the New York Yankees started Oswaldo Cabrera at shortstop.
They decided to go back to Isiah Kiner-Falefa for Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros on Wednesday.
That didn’t work out very well, so manager Aaron Boone went with Oswald Peraza for Game 2 on Thursday.
The Yankees need to decide what to do with their shortstop situation because they can’t keep running out a different name every night.
One MLB analyst seems to have no doubt about who should be starting, and many fans, writers, and fellow analysts are with him, too.
“Oswald Peraza is an above-average Major League shortstop. Not someday. Right now,” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi tweeted.
Oswald Peraza is an above-average Major League shortstop. Not someday. Right now.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 21, 2022
Peraza didn’t have any hits in his first career playoff start at shortstop, but did have an impressive game with the glove.
He took a hit from Jose Altuve.
Smooth Operator 👊 pic.twitter.com/jA1evVut0k
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 20, 2022
A Very Good Fielding Shortstop
Additionally, he looked confident in every aspect of fielding: taking fly balls, groundballs, and showing good hands, footwork, and instincts.
Since Kiner-Falefa is a below-average performer at the plate and considerably worse in the field, it makes sense for the Yankees to give Peraza the chance to start.
He showed in the minors that he has an electric power-speed combo, with 19 home runs and 33 stolen bases in Triple-A this year.
He was called up by the Yankees and hit an additional homer and stole two more bases, which means he had 20 round-trippers and 35 thefts this campaign.
That’s not too shabby for a 22-year-old.
Cabrera is needed in the outfield, and Peraza’s superior fielding and offensive upside should give him the edge over Kiner-Falefa.
NEXT: Luis Severino Says Astros Were Lucky In Game 2