Miguel Andujar's aggressive approach at plate paying off in 2nd stint with Pirates

Miguel Andujar is taking an aggressive approach to the plate, one that is paying dividends for the Pittsburgh Pirates outfield this September.

After spending the majority of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis — where Pirates general manager Ben Cherington called him their “best and most consistent performer all year long” — Andujar has brought a hot bat to the Pirates’ lineup since returning to the majors.

“I’m just making good contact,” Andujar said. “I go to the plate and try to hit the ball hard and see what happens.”

Andujar went 3 for 4 with three RBIs in an 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night at Wrigley Field, boosting his batting average to .368 (14 for 38) with four doubles and 10 RBIs in a dozen games since being recalled when major league rosters expanded on Sept. 1. It was his second three-hit game this season, as he went 3 for 5 in an 8-4 win at Atlanta on Sept. 9.

Miguel Andujar puts the Pirates up 2-0 over the Cubs! pic.twitter.com/bRjSngtOb5

— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) September 22, 2023

It was evident that Andujar, who batted fifth and started in right field, studied video of Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Andujar hit a leadoff single in the second inning, a two-out, two-run double to right field in the third inning for a 2-0 lead then added an RBI single to left in the fifth to make it 3-0.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton credited Andujar’s success to his chance to be an everyday player at Indianapolis, where he batted .338/.404/.536 with 30 doubles, 16 homers and 86 RBIs in 104 games. Combining his major and minor league statistics, Andujar has 102 RBIs this season.

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Still, the Pirates passed on promoting Andujar in the middle of the summer, opting instead for Henry Davis and Joshua Palacios. Finally, with Davis on the 10-day injured list in late August, they couldn’t ignore Andujar’s bat any longer.

“He’s come back up and it just looks like he’s in a good spot,” Shelton said Thursday night on the AT&T SportsNet postgame show. “He’s super aggressive. That’s the big thing. He’s aggressive and he hits the ball hard.”

That’s what Andujar did as a rookie for the New York Yankees in 2018, when he finished second in AL rookie of the year voting after batting .297 with 47 doubles, 27 homers and 92 RBIs. But he fell out of favor in New York because of his defense, bouncing from third base to the outfield, and the Pirates claimed him off waivers last September.

Andujar batted .250 with three doubles and nine RBIs in nine games for the Pirates, and they avoided arbitration with the seventh-year veteran by signing him to a one-year, $1.525 million contract. Cherington called Andujar “a quiet pro (who) goes about his business,” adding that the coaching staff “really likes him.”

But Andujar didn’t make the Opening Day roster. Andujar scuffled in his first stint with the Pirates, playing sporadically and batting .161 with two home runs and six RBIs in 13 games between April 29-May 17. The Pirates designated Andujar for assignment, but he cleared waivers and returned to Indianapolis, where he hit until it couldn’t be ignored. He got some payback against the Yankees with a solo homer in a 3-2 win on Sunday at PNC Park.

“I just controlled what I can control. I just played hard and did the best I can there and tried to be here,” Andujar said. “I’m super happy to be here with the team. I’ve enjoyed my time with the Bucs.”