Better know your Blue Jays 40-man: Brandon Drury

Brandon Drury (who I’m sure I called Chris a few dozen times last year) has had an interesting time of it.

Before the 2016 season Brandon was #72 on Baseball Prospectus top 100 prospect list. He played 134 games for the Diamondbacks that season, hitting .282/.329/.458 with 16 home runs. In 2017 he played 135 games, hitting .267/.317/.447 with 13 home runs. Not terrible numbers for a middle infield (he played a fair bit of third in 2017).

Before the 2018 season Brandon was the only player to come to the Yankees in a three team trade between the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rays.

Brandon started the season as the Yankee’s third baseman, but about a week into the season he went on the DL with migraines and blurred vision. Drury admitted that he had been having migraines and blurred vision for years. The Yankees found a an irritated tendon running up his neck and into his head that was causing his troubles. There is one I’ve never heard of before. You would think that after several years of following baseball I’d have heard of all the injuries, but this one is new on me.

Brandon wouldn’t play for the Yankees again until the end of June. Then he played 10 games, hit a big .143/.200/.179 before being included (along with Billy McKinney) in the Yankee’s trade for J.A. Happ.

Considering he found the reason for the migraines and blurred vision, it seemed like Drury could be a good pickup. One would figure that blurred vision wouldn’t be optimal for a hitter.

8 games in to his Blue Jays career it wasn’t looking good, he was hitting .154/.241/.231.

Then we found out he was playing with a broken hand, suffered on a hit by pitch back when he was still a Yankee (hitting with a broken hand wouldn’t be all that much more fun than hitting with blurred vision). Apparently x-rays, taken by the Yankees right after the HBP, didn’t show the break, but, when it wasn’t getting better, the Jays sent him for an MRI and CT scan and they found the break. I guess wondering why it wasn’t found during the trade physical isn’t really going to help anything, but I do anyway.

He’s had since early August to heal, so he should be ready to go at the start of the season.

His numbers in the minors, this year, were much better than his MLB numbers (but then he had limited at bats in the majors). In the minors, mostly at Triple A Scranton. he hit .289/.400/.440 in 260 at bats, with 37 walks. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone on the team who wasn’t allergic to taking walks.

The Jays have been saying that Drury will be the opening day third baseman, while Vlad Jr. takes most of April to become major league ready in table manners or something,

Drury is going to want to have a good start to the season because, especially after Vlad comes up, the Jays will be up to their armpits in infielders. If Drury is hitting around that .150 mark, I can’t see him staying with the team.

The Jays have Drury, Galvis, Gurriel, Travis and Urena on the 40-man, and Vlad will be added at some point. Eric Sogard is a non-roster invitee to spring training. Drury still has options so he could end up going down to minors if things don’t go well.

Steam figures Brandon to hit .245/.308/.393 in 343 at bats. If he doesn't hit better than that, I can’t see him getting 340 at bats. I’d guess that, since Ross traded for him, he’ll get every chance, but he’ll need to hit better than that line.