Late-round Yankees draft pick starring in Red Sox walk-off win twists knife deeper

Were you aware that Mickey Gasper, the former 27th round pick of the New York Yankees out of Bryant in 2018, has put up mega-star numbers in the Boston Red Sox organization this season? That, of course, comes after after hitting .191 in 22 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year and reaching minor-league free agency.

Gasper, who served as an organizational non-prospect in his Yankees days, has torched Worcester to the ground, batting .341 with 12 homers and a 1.017 OPS in 84 games at the Triple-A level this season. To be fair to the Yankees, a team we often attack for not seeing things coming, how could they possibly have seen this coming? Nothing has ever been more Boston, except maybe 2018 World Series MVP Steve Pearce.

After a whirlwind day featuring a last-second promotion and hurried drive across the state, Gasper wasn't in Monday's starting lineup, but was called upon in extra innings with Boston in desperate need of a professional at-bat, teetering on the edge of snuffing out their own rally in embarrassing fashion. With two runners on and a tie game in extras, Gasper worked his way back from a 1-2 count against lefty reliever Walter Pennington, and walked to load the bases. One out later, Rob Refsnyder delivered into the gap, averting a five-game losing streak for a team that sorely deserves one.

Why is an objective "feel-good" story making us feel bad?

Former Yankees draft pick Mickey Gasper keys Red Sox walk-off win with clutch walk

Respectfully, fillet my eyeballs and serve them on a tapas plate.

Gasper seemed like a minor-league lifer last fall, barely hanging onto his MLB dream. Now, he's got a place in big-league history forever, and if his Triple-A breakout is to be believed, there might be more where that came from.

But ... isn't it another franchise's turn to uncover a surprising prospect's inner talent and ride the stardom wave of a 28-year-old rookie into the spotlight? Don't the Brewers or the Royals or the Twins deserve Mickey Gasper? We can't let Boston keep getting away with this.

Let this be another lesson: if you cry loudly enough about your team's ownership -- which has won four titles -- not "caring" because they passed on Jordan Montgomery in the offseason, miracles can happen to you, too. Again and again and again.