Yankees News: Is Rob Refsnyder The Answer At Second Base?
As Spring Training is just around the corner, with pitchers and catchers reporting in less than two weeks, New York Yankees prospect Rob Refsnyder is preparing for his first major league Spring Training, attempting to win a roster spot. If not for the signing of Stephen Drew, Refsnyder would likely be the favorite for the job, as he was expected to battle with Jose Pirela. While second base is a position that many fans feel should still be Robinson Cano‘s, this simply isn’t the case anymore, and we should not live in the past.
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Refsnyder, who apparently has never been to either the new or old Yankee Stadium, is a hard-working young man who is attempting to make fans forget about Cano, something that was very difficult to do last season. Refsnyder hit a combined .318/.387/.497 with 14 home runs between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton. The reason Yankees officials felt the need to re-sign Drew, is that Refsnyder also committed 12 errors and had a fielding percentage of only .977. However, after committing 9 errors in 283 chances for a .968 fielding percentage at Double-A, he improved to only commit 3 errors in 245 chances, or a .988 fielding percentage. This would have placed him in the top ten among those qualified in the big leagues last season, even slightly above Cano.
Refsnyder also has a competitive edge, as his adopted father stated that when an opposing child scored against five-year old Rob’s team in youth soccer, that he saw “veins bulging out of [Rob’s] neck, and then [Rob] takes off running the length of the field and football-tackles the kid who scored”. Later in the article Refsnyder states “You can say I have one tool, or you can say I have no tools, I don’t really listen to any of that. It’s all about winning, and wanting to get better”according to Wayne Coffey of the NY Daily News.
For a player as young as Refsnyder to already buy-in to the Yankees philosophy of winning is great. In recent years, it seems that the Yankees have had more complacent players than those who bust their tails to win, something that was an unfair slight on even Cano.
Refsnyder should make the big leagues sooner than later, and it will be refreshing to see a young guy working hard to show he belongs. Drew is only signed to a one-year deal, and if he doesn’t perform well, it would not be surprising to see him cut as Brian Roberts was last season. The opportunity is there for Refsnyder, the talent is there, and he seems willing to put in whatever necessary work it takes to take the job from Drew. Refsnyder could very well be the Yankees answer at second base, as nobody saw Cano being that until he reached the big leagues. It is only a matter of time before the young man will get a chance to prove his doubters wrong.
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