Yankees: Rob Refsnyder tearing it up with the Twins is extremely weird

Remember Rob Refsnyder, Yankees fans?! He was a former promising top prospect who New York thought could be a dangerous utility man for years to come.

But after an impressive 16-game cameo in the Bronx back in 2015, the former fifth-round pick from Arizona never panned out.

His career in the Yankees’ organization ended after just 94 big-league games (across parts of three seasons) in which he slashed .241/.312/.332 with just two home runs and 17 RBI. You know how it is. Prospects need to make a good first impression and sustain their production if they want to make it big with the Yankees.

After stints with the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds (during which he spent all of 2019 in the minor leagues) and Texas Rangers, Refsnyder had resurfaced in Minnesota with the Twins.

Why does it matter? Well, he’s filling in for the injured Byron Buxton for the time being and he’s … absolutely dominating.

No, seriously. He’s slashing .400/.436/.657 with eight runs scored, two home runs and seven RBI across his first 12 games. The Twins are 8-4 in those games.

Former Yankees infielder Rob Refsnyder is dominating with the Twins.

Yankees fans were hoping for that four years ago! Nonetheless, it’s awesome to see the 30-year-old succeeding. This is more of what the organization was expecting from the South Korean slugger.

Apparently, Refsnyder re-tooled his swing with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate thanks to the help of hitting coach Matt Borgschulte. And that’s apparently changed … everything?

That’s a hell of a barrel right there.

His offensive production has very much saved the Twins from an unmitigated disaster after their dreadful start in 2021. Before Refsnyder’s arrival, the club was 12-25. Now they’re 20-29. Still not great, but any progress is viewed as positive at this point.

Oh, and he’s part of Twins history, kind of.

He obviously won’t sustain this production, but if he continues to prove his worth offensively, the Twins will find a way to fit him into their plans even when Buxton returns. And speaking of Buxton, some have speculated he could be a highly sought-after target at the trade deadline.

If Minnesota can get a huge return for him, perhaps they’d be more comfortable parting ways if they are encouraged by Refsnyder’s presence in center field for the time being. He’s obviously no replacement for Buxton, but he could end up being a rock solid veteran stopgap until the organization clarifies its long-term plans should they decided to re-tool.

For now, Refsnyder will continue to enjoy his best cup of coffee to date.

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