Pirates prospect update: Miguel Andujar

On this edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates prospect update series, we take a look at outfielder Miguel Andujar, who is coming off of a stellar season with Triple-A Indianapolis .

The end of season awards were just handed out by the Indianapolis Indians, and Andujar was the recipient of the team’s MVP award after being one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Between Pittsburgh and Indy this year, he hit for 338/.404/.536 with a .941 OPS. Splitting time between Triple-A and the Majors saw Andujar have 26 appearances for Pittsburgh, tallying over 100 RBIs total for the season. After a season like this, many are wondering if the Pirates found an unpolished gem.

Andujar was born in the Dominican-Republic and was singed as an international free agent by the New York Yankees in 2011. Andujar experienced some good years as a Yankee, particularly when he was first called up and he broke the team’s record for most runs batted in by a player in their first game. In 2018, Andujar would find himself in the American League top 15 rankings in doubles, home runs, hits, batting average, OPS, slugging, total bases and RBIs.

Following a stint of injuries and being optioned to Triple-A, Andujar requested a trade from the Yankees, and was later claimed off waivers by the Pirates. Andujar was signed to a one-year deal of November last year and was then optioned down to Indy after the signing of Andrew McCutchen.

In 2023, Andujar could not have been a better batter, as he seemed to return to the player he was during his time in New York. The 28-year-old is currently not ranked as a top prospect in baseball, but I do believe that there is a future for him in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates selected his contract on September first, and Andujar has made several more appearances since then. At this point in time there has not been a contract extension put into place, but I would have to imagine the Pirates will look to hold onto their best player at Triple-A and try to find a way to mix him into the Major League roster. Pittsburgh is always in need of hitters, and Andujar could be one to make the difference come next season.