On Thursday, the New York Yankees squared off against the defending NL Central champion St. Louis Cardinals in Grapefruit League play.
New York sent left-hander Nestor Cortes to the mound as the Cards countered with lefty Steven Matz.
In the top of the fourth inning, Matz ran into a little bit of trouble when he faced Oswaldo Cabrera, who took an 84-MPH slider out to deep left field that cleared the wall as Lars Nootbaar ran out of room.
That home run gave the Bronx Bombers a 1-0 lead.
On Twitter, the Yankees posted a video featuring Cabrera’s blast with a caption that read “Cabrera Crush.”
Cabrera Crush 💪 pic.twitter.com/LJMCbSEkfv
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 23, 2023
This is an encouraging sign for the Yankees.
New York has banked heavily on their crop of young stars to fill out the shortstop position, as well as spots in the outfield.
Cabrera is certainly capable of doing both and he provided a little bit of power on Thursday to make a case for a starting spot.
The 24-year-old made his MLB debut late last season with the Yankees and made a pretty good first impression.
While he struggled with his batting average, hitting just .247, the switch-hitting super utilityman crushed six home runs, drove in 19, stole three bases, posted an on-base percentage of .312, and a slugging percentage of .429.
As the Yankees assess their options, Cabrera certainly found a way to turn some heads as he hopes to earn a significant role with the Yankees in 2023.
The home run off of Matz would be a good start.
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