3 biggest Yankees spring training surprises who didn’t make roster

The New York Yankees have headed north from spring training, and although their Opening Day celebration has been delayed 24 hours, their 28-man unit is ready to roll against the Red Sox.

Marwin Gonzalez, JP Sears, Clarke Schmidt and Ron Marinaccio snagged the four up-for-grabs roster spots after starring all spring, but they weren’t the only standouts. The decisions weren’t that tough, for a number of reasons, but several additional young players caught our eyes.

There were the top prospects, like Anthony Volpe and Alexander Vargas, who had no chance to make the Opening Day roster but clearly popped and were given an opportunity to show off. There were the late-rounders and prospect hugger favorites, like Cooper Bowman and Andres Chaparro, who displayed their exit velocity under the lights.

Then, of course, there were the completely out-of-left field standouts — none of whom made the final roster, but … that’s forgivable. The Yankees didn’t have a Lucas Luetge-style comet rise all the way to the 28-man this time around, but with pitching depth paramount after a shortened ramp-up period, it’s safe to say they’ll need these three guys at some point (relatively soon).

Apologies to Deivi Garcia, who shocked us with his four MPH velocity uptick (on average), but who’s had plenty of ink spilled about his legitimate greatness already in recent days. He had to go back to Triple-A (to prove his spikes were sustainable, in part), but if he keeps up that surge, he will most certainly be making his presence known with the big-league Yankees again. As will Luis Gil.

Beyond that bounce back, these three Yankees shocked fans the most, either in extended stays or brief, shining cameos.

3 best Yankees spring training surprises who didn’t make Opening Day roster

3. Manny Bañuelos

Technically, Manny Bañuelos should probably occupy the Nos. 3, 2 and 1 spots on this list, based on his entirely unexpected performance as a non-roster invitee. Out of fairness to the other standouts, though, we’ll restrict him to only one position.

Bañuelos was demoted to Triple-A earlier this week, but was given the honor of the spring’s final start on Tuesday, nearly going through the entirety of camp without surrendering an earned run before Miguel Cabrera took him deep in his fourth inning of work.

The one-time Top 100 prospect and Clayton Kershaw of the East Coast, Bañuelos was traded from the Yankees to the Braves after his Tommy John surgery rehab was completed back in 2014. From there, he fulfilled his major league dreams but not his promise, carrying a career 6.31 big league ERA at this point after one stint each with the Braves and White Sox.

Following stints with the Fubon Guardians in the CPBL and in the Mexican League, the Yankees threw the now 31-year-old Bañuelos a life raft this offseason and gave him a second chance at wearing the pinstripes. After what had to be minimal input from Matt Blake (just a few weeks?), Bañuelos was already dotting the corners with velocity (93-94) and dictating at-bats like a veteran, working his way through the spring with nine shutout innings before the final third of an inning saw him tagged for three runs.

The bubble may have burst temporarily, but he’ll be one of the first in line for a call-up when a 40-man spot opens up. Certainly not bad for a bounce back.

1. Hayden Wesneski

With a slider for the ages, Hayden Wesneski is firmly what’s next. Though he only got one opportunity to strut his stuff in game action, Wesneski made it painfully clear during the March 18 spring opener against the Pirates that his meal ticket to the majors can get him a big-league paycheck, as long as he keeps refining it.

Sometimes, you watch a pitcher you’ve heard buzz about and immediately don’t understand it. Sure, he throws hard, but where’s it going? What’s the differentiator?

With Wesneski, it’s immediately obvious he has the type of frisbee slider you can’t just learn, and he controls is spectacularly. Though his big-league audition was only one start long, he blew up Pitching Ninja in a single afternoon, which takes real talent.

The sum total of his big-league spring may have included three innings, two hits, one walk, four whiffs, and some miracle benders, but the lingering impact of that slider lives on.

Prior to the spring showcase, most Yankee fans knew Wesneski only as a fast riser without context. Now, they know him as the kid at Triple-A knocking on the door of the big leagues with a world-class bender.

Also not on the 40-man, Wesneski will have to make real noise to get a promotion. But based on his spring cameo, he likely will do just that.

New Yankees pitcher Miguel Castro looks stunningly different after Mets trade

Miguel Castro got traded to the New York Yankees over the weekend and had to undergo a transformation thanks to the team's facial hair/hair policy.