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New York Yankees Editorial: Should the Yankees Platoon at the Second Base Position?

By Al Casey

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The New York Yankees have concluded the first half of their 2015 season with a 48-40 record, first in the American League East. Earlier this week, the Yankees have decided to call up top prospect, and fifth ranked Yankees prospect, Rob Refsnyder to the major leagues.

General manager Brian Cashman addressed the longevity of the Refsynder situation as an opportunity when spoken to by reporters prior to Saturday’s game.

"“We never deny anybody’s opportunity to push their way in. But the God’s honest truth is that it’s about Saturday night and Sunday right now. Again, we saw two left-handers and we weren’t sure if Headley was even going to be available. It’s great that he [Refsynder] is and so here he is.”"

Given that outlook, could we see Refsynder making lasting impacts for the Yankees in the 2015 season? Clearly, second baseman Stephen Drew has not been what many had expected him to be. While resigning with the Yankees earlier in the off-season, Drew has been a disappointment in the batter’s box.

Diving into specifics; Drew is batting .182 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI. Although the home run total remains astonishing, batting .182 is more than frustrating for anyone to witness. The struggles are not recent either, but it seems the Yankees and their management are having to look at alternatives elsewhere; thus Refsynder had been called up for the Red Sox series.

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During Sunday’s game against the Red Sox, Refsynder recorded his first major league hit and first major league home run. What alternatives could we see the Yankees provide at the second base position? A possibility, that would keep Refsynder in the Bronx, would be for the Yankees to issue a platoon scenario at the second base position.

Refsynder, a right-handed batter, and Drew, a left-handed batter, compose of differing abilities. One of the main concerns many had with Refsynder was his defense; in the minors, Refsynder fine tuned his defense at the Triple-A level. As assumed, Drew would maintain the workload of the right-handed pitcher, while Refsynder could assume the role of facing against left-handed pitchers.

It seems likely that the Yankees would have addressed their second baseman needs through the season. There have been rumors of the Yankees linked to a potential trade with the Oakland Athletics pertaining to Ben Zobrist, but they could find an answer within their system in Refsynder. In addition, looking at the long-term aspect of the situation, Drew remains on a one-year contract with the Yankees; Drew will become a free agent at the end of the 2015 season.

Currently, Refsynder remains with the team, but could be sent back down at any given time. Looking ahead, with Drew likely gone by next year, Refsynder will have the full capabilities of becoming the Yankees’ full time second baseman for the future years to come.

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