Rob Refsnyder Is Unproven Great Hope For New York Yankees
By Owen Gabbey
@ogab_3
Kim Klement – USA Today Sports
The New York Yankees need to find a second baseman in wake of Martin Prado being traded to the Miami Marlins. Right now, it looks like they’ll be leaving the second base job open to one of their few young guns. While it looks like they’ll give 25-year-old Jose Pirela a good shot at the spot, the front-runner at this point seems to be 23-year-old rookie Rob Refsnyder.
Pirela is a good player who has been close to the Majors for a little while and can certainly earn some looks and playing time. Drafted in 2012, he has risen at an astronomical rate through the Yankees’ minor league system. He was drafted as an outfielder and was only converted to second after the draft, so his defense isn’t what has led to his success. His big calling card is the fact that he has been one of the best hitters in the Yankees’ system over the past few years at a position where good bats are at a premium.
He struggled in his first season, but broke out in 2013, hitting .293 to go with six homers, 57 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. He followed that up with a 2014 campaign where he hit .318 with 14 HR, 63 RBIs and nine steals.
That combination of power, average and speed is valuable regardless of the position a player fields. Obviously, Refsnyder has a lot of work to do, but he has a shot to win the second base job coming out of camp, and possibly provide an interesting spark in a revamped Yankees lineup.
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