Brewers fans sure seemed to love under-the-radar prospect Yankees just stole

Uh oh, New York Yankees fans. It seems like we all just got a new "stuck-halfway-between-Triple-A-and-the-majors-in-purgatory" prospect crush via the Milwaukee Brewers' system. If New Yorkers end up liking him half as much as folks in Milwaukee did, there might be some summer clamoring in our future.

The Yankees don't exactly have an opening at first base in Triple-A, seeing as TJ Rumfield wasn't claimed in the Rule 5 Draft. They do have a habit of stashing bats in Scranton and asking questions later, though, usually letting them walk when they hit the offseason after paying them no mind all year long (Jose Rojas and Brennen Davis, looking at you).

Maybe this year's version, Ernesto Martinez Jr., will be the exception, given that he's able to produce the type of peak exit velocities that usually make the Yankees salivate.

Martinez Jr. finished off his eighth season with the Brewers' organization this past season, but is still only 25 years old. He was reportedly on the cusp of making his first MLB cameo this summer, but the timing just never panned out, and the juggernaut Brewers weren't exactly desperate for a talent infusion.

Now, the 6-foot-6, 254-pound first baseman with the ability to do the splits and hit a ball 116 MPH — earning the nickname "El Espectáculo," which will be sticking — will get a chance to make an impression at camp in Tampa.

Yankees sign ex-Brewers prospect Ernesto Martinez Jr., and Brewers fans will miss him

Unfortunately for the affable Martinez Jr., his violent swing comes from the left side of the plate. What the Yankees need is a first baseman who can potentially relieve Ben Rice from the other side, like Paul Goldschmidt did last season. The Yankees don't have much wealth to dedicate to a platoon caddy this year, and if they do supplement their roster with a righty-swinging first baseman, it'll probably be an unknown rising the ranks or Amed Rosario pulling double duty. Martinez Jr. might not be joining the best situation, but at least he'll give Yankee fans a reason to pine for another overlooked piece this year.

There's also the possibility that, after his powerful swing resulted in only six homers last year at Triple-A, the Yankees might be the ones to unlock him, then be forced to watch him prosper elsewhere. Hopefully, he'll at least turn into a trade chip before that happens.

As Reviewing the Brew's Owen Jonas wrote of Martinez Jr., "Keen observers of the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system were rooting for a debut in 2025 that never came." Now, perhaps, they'll begin rooting enthusiastically for the Yankees? That's how this works, right?