Last winter, when Brian Cashman told Joe Torre that the Yanks were about to sign journeyman free agent Miguel Cairo as a backup infielder, Torre admitted that he knew very little about Cairo and was unsure what to expect.

Illustration by Chuck Lockhart

So Joe put a call in to his old mentor, Red Schoendienst, the former St. Louis Cardinal Manager. Schoendienst assured Joe that Cairo had a strong work ethic and could play almost every position. In fact, “Miggy” had started at least three games at six positions while playing in 92 games for the Redbirds in 2003. Schoendienst, of course, managed some great St.Louis ballclubs and has kept close tabs on his team for more than half-a-century, so his positive endorsement calmed Torre’s concerns and he left for his annual Hawaiian vacation feeling that the Yankee utility position would be in good hands.

Little did Joe, or the rest of Evil Empire Nation for the matter, realize that this somewhat minor signing would turn out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.

When spring training started, Enrique Wilson was the favorite to win the 2nd base job, and he nailed down the job by hitting over .400 in grapefruit league action. Wilson’s strong spring, coupled with Joe’s reputation for being stubborn loyal to his existing players, put Wilson in the opening day lineup in Tokyo.

But when Wilson sputtered, Cairo got more playing time. Miggy showed steady play leading up to his first big moment on Friday, April 30th, 2004 when his tie-breaking three-run homer in the sixth inning helped catapult the Yanks to a 7-5 victory against the A’s. That night Cairo received the definitive Bronx compliment—his first stadium curtain call.

"That was amazing. Yankee Stadium is a different feeling," Cairo said after his first Yankee home run. "That's the best you can get."

The feeling got even better when Cairo got a clutch double in the classic July 1 game against the Sox to tie the score in the 13th inning, after the Sox had taken the lead in the top of the 13th.

As the summer wore on Cairo made few mistakes at second, showed steady range, and took over the position. (Think Mariano Duncan in 1996)

When at bat, he seldom killed a rally. He was one of the few Yankees able to lay down a bunt. He knew his role, became comfortable, and did not play outside of himself. He finished the season hitting .292, 19 points over his lifetime average.

As he proved himself, he grew in stature among his teammates, perhaps getting the ultimate comment from his manager: "He knows how to play," Torre said.

Dan Patrick and Rob Dibble of ESPN radio, not known as Yankee enthusiasts by any means, even suggested on their radio program that Cairo was the team MVP! Now that's going too far given the men in right, left, and shortstop, but it does show the extent to which Cairo has contributed this year. In fact, as mentioned on the NYYFANS.COM forum by member Stupid Flanders “if you look at the Yankees record when Cairo plays, Miguel Cairo has the highest winning percentage of team wins when he plays in a game of any player in the majors this year (for players with over 100 games played).”

Further evidence of Cairo’s value is that he led the league in percentage of productive outs this year for players with a minimum of 40 at bats. Cairo recorded 17 productive outs in 32 productive out situations, for a PO% of 0.531. Given the potent nature of the Yankee lineup, the importance of these stats can not be overstated.

Once the playoffs started, Miggy picked up his game even more. In Game #2 of the ALDS, with the Yanks season on the line and down by 1 with one out in the 12th , Torre didn't even think of pinch hitting for him. Cairo got a key walk to help spark the winning rally. Here is a guy who walked only 18 times all year. But he walked twice in Game #2 and scored both times. He also contributed a key run-producing hit in game #3, the pivotal game in the ALDS. And when Sheffield lost a fly ball in the oatmeal colored roof of the Metrodome, Cairo hustled past Sheffield and Williams to snag the ball in deep right and keep damage to a minimum. All in a day’s work, sure, but it’s a heads-up play nonetheless.

"He's been our secret weapon all year," Alex Rodriguez said. "He fights like hell at the bottom of the order. To have hitters like him and Johnny Olerud at the bottom of the order is a great luxury for us."

Knowing the Yankees, they will sign a more well-known 2nd baseman this winter, rather than award the position to Cairo again or develop prospect Robinson Cano. But for this year, Cairo has done his job superbly.



Phil Allard is a freelance writer and a member of the NYYFANS community. You can reach him at hardrain@optonline.net