Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero has already made his presence felt. Across his first 11 games with New York, the 28-year-old has collected eight hits and earned a 1.122 OPS. He mashed his first two home runs as a Yankee during the team’s 13-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
The righty’s two long balls were part of a nine-home run performance.
“That’s why they are the Bronx Bombers,” Caballero told MLB.com after the game. “Hanging out with those guys, something has to be contagious.”
While Caballero’s marks will likely revert towards the mean, aspects of his game will be uniquely helpful to a team that has struggled to be fundamentally sound.
From a common-sense standpoint, teams need to keep games close in order to eventually pull away on the scoreboard. To do so, it is essential that a club’s defense plays clean baseball and prevents errors.
Even though Caballero is not the team’s starting shortstop, he has already received a solid amount of playing time since he can also play third base, second base, and the outfield.
“He’s a baseball player, man, and to me that’s the biggest compliment you can give someone,” Yankees third baseman McMahon told NJ.com. “That guy is a ballplayer.”
According to Baseball Savant, he ranks in the 90th percentile in Range and the 73rd percentile in Fielding Run Value. If Yankees manager Aaron Boone ever feels that the team needs shortstop Anthony Volpe or another player to temporarily sit due to defensive miscues, Caballero could offer an immediate solution.
Jose Caballero has embraced his identity as a ‘pest’
Beyond his defensive influence, Caballero has also established himself as a valuable bat to keep on the roster. He ranks in the 85th percentile in BB% and the 91st percentile in Baserunning Run Value.
He has stolen 39 bases this season. Across 139 games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024, he hit nine home runs and posted a .630 OPS. Caballero is not a player who will consistently crank home runs or post gaudy RBI totals. But, he can regularly piece together pesky plate appearances and use his speed to get into scoring position while irritating opposing pitchers and defenses.
When speaking about how Caballero’s approach can alter games, Yankees starter Will Warren described him as a “pest.” The Panama native was happy to have earned such a distinction.
“It makes me feel really good because that’s what I’m trying to do,” Caballero said. “I’m trying to make them hate me. I don’t want them to like me. I’m just trying to mess with them.
“I don’t want them to have the full attention on what they’re doing, and rather a little more attention on me to try to hate me.”
The Yankees boast one of the sport’s most potent lineups. Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger, and others help form a contingent that can generate runs and often mash their way to victory.
But this style of play is far from bulletproof. If opposing teams take advantage of defensive mistakes during the Postseason, New York’s slug might not matter. Further, if the Yankees’ main power contributors experience a cold spell, opposing pitchers will be content to induce fly balls and ground balls.
Caballero does not make the Yankees a more “powerful” team, but his skill set improves the conditions that would allow the group’s greatest strength to carry more weight in October.
