Yankees 2022 Roster Report Cards: Misc. Position Players

Dec 8, 2022 - 7:30 PM

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As we reach the end stages of our player report card series, we’re going to focus on some guys you may not have completely remembered. None of the three players we’re looking at today had a particularly big impact on the 2022 Yankees’ season and none did enough to get a full length article on their own. However, they’re still worth taking a brief review of.

Here’s a look at some of the miscellaneous position players from the 2022 Yankees’ season.

Collective Grade: D-

Tim Locastro

2022 Statistics: 29 games, 46 plate appearances, .186/.239/.349, 67 wRC+, 8 stolen bases, 0.0 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Free agent

For a backup defensive outfield option/pinch runner, Locastro was fine. He stole eight bases on the season, while being caught just twice. Weirdly for someone as fast as he is, his defense didn’t grade out well this year.

At that plate, Locastro didn’t do a ton, but that also wasn’t really ever anything that was asked of him. The only major thing of note was the time he technically was the Yankees’ designated hitter in the August 8th game in Seattle where he had to replace Matt Carpenter, when he hurt his foot. Locastro’s now a free agent, so that might be it for his Yankee career, but it also wouldn’t be shocking if they brought him back as a minor league free agent to fill a similar role, considering that they’ve acquired him on three different occasions previously.

Estevan Florial

2022 Statistics: 24 games, 35 plate appearances, .097/.200/.097, -7 wRC+, -0.4 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

After having brief runs in the big leagues during both of the previous two years, Florial got another short go-round in 2022, but it did not go great. He went just 3-for-31 with three walks and a hit-by-pitch over the course of 17 games. It was a ways off his 2021, where he actually had some success at the plate, though neither was a particularly big sample size. For his career, Florial’s numbers are now below average, but he’s still only at 63 plate appearances in total.

The most notable moment of his 2022 season came in mid-August, where he was called up with Oswaldo Cabrera, as the Yankees tried to get some sort of jolt for a struggling team. Cabrera provided that, and Florial didn’t.

Florial is only 25, and was considered a top 100 prospect in baseball not that long ago. His numbers in Triple-A this year were probably solid enough for him to not be jettisoned off the roster. Florial has long been a guy that some segments of the fan base pine for to be given a shot, but it seems like he’s running out of opportunities with the Yankees.

Ronald Guzmán

2022 Statistics: 3 games, 6 plate appearances, .000/.000/.000, -100 wRC+, -0.1 fWAR

2023 Contract Status: Free agent

Oh dear. Guzmán’s run with the 2023 Yankees was not long, and won’t be fondly remembered.

With the Yankees in an injury crisis, they called up Guzmán for cover at first base in early September after putting up solid numbers in Triple-A. He made his Yankee debut in the first game of a September 7th doubleheader against the Twins. The Yankees were in such a tough situation that he went right into the cleanup spot in the lineup.

In that game, Guzmán proceeded to go 0-for-5 with four strikeouts and a double play. The double play was the most frustrating play of all, as it came with the bases loaded and nobody out in a tie game in the 11th inning. Even worse than that, he seemed to be somewhat ducking out of the way as the Twins turned a 3-2-3 double play to keep the game alive.

The Yankees ended up winning the game after that, but it’s hard to imagine a fan base being madder at a non-descript player making their team debut than Yankees fans were that day. Guzmán was promptly not in the lineup for the nightcap, and made two more appearances, both off the bench in the late innings, before returning to the minors. It’s hard to imagine him ever wearing a Yankees uniform again.