With the New York Yankees currently undergoing their youth movement, there is one man who keeps getting lost in the shuffle, Rob Refsnyder.
The New York Yankees are currently going through their first youth movement in a long time, piling up on young talent to carry them to future success.One member of these labeled “Baby Bombers” is utility man Rob Refsnyder, who is the most overlooked out of all of the young stars. Refsnyder was actually the first of the group to make his big league debut back in 2015.
When Refsnyder was originally called up to the big leagues, he was solely used as a second baseman and made a good case to have the organization let him man the position for years to come.
However, in the offseason, the Yankees decided that they don’t think Refsnyder is the man for the role, which left them trading for Starlin Castro to take the everyday second baseman role.
Since the trade for Castro, it has been very uncertain among the organization where Refsnyder actually fits in heading into the future of the franchise.
Refsnyder spent most of the 2016 season with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate RailRiders despite the fact he looks big league ready. In 58 games with the Yankees, Refsnyder sported a .250/.328/.309 slash line.
While with New York in 2016, it seemed as if the South Korean native played every position on the diamond. He spent time at first base (24 games), second base (six games), third base (one game), left field (four games) and right field (23 games).
By the looks of it, the Yankees might be grooming Refsnyder to be their utility man heading into their future, opening up windows for them to be able to use Refsnyder as depth for every position on the field.
However, it is difficult for a young player like Refsnyder to gain experience at the big league level when he is not getting the opportunity to play every day, leaving the Yankees having to make a decision in what they decide to do with him.
One option could be to use the utility man as trade bait in a deal that could bring a starting pitcher to New York or help bring depth to another area of need like third base.
There is no team in the majors right now that wouldn’t like to have a guy like Refsnyder on their team, he is a guy who gives it his all every time he is out on the field and can play almost every position on the field.
Refsnyder showed this aggressiveness time after time in 2016 where we would see him put his body on the line and dive for a ball that he felt like could potentially be caught. He has a determination for success and that is something the Yankees should seriously look at before dealing him.
It should be taken into account that Refsnyder himself doesn’t even know where he fits onto the current Yankees roster, but hasn’t slowed down his drive for improvement one bit.
“I don’t know where I fit on the roster,” Refsnyder told Dan Martin of the New York Post. “We’ll see what happens. I’m going about my business and try to improve my game because I wasn’t happy with the way I played last year at all. On the offensive side, I felt like it was the bare minimum I could have contributed. I want to do a lot more.”
While there isn’t anywhere open currently on the Yankees roster for Refsnyder to go, there were rumors over the offseason that suggested the Yankees would be willing to trade Starlin Castro for the right package.
If a deal like this were to come to fruition, Refsnyder would most likely be the team’s first option for the new starting second baseman. Clearly, this is a long shot, but it is one of the only ways Refsnyder can currently find a way in the starting lineup other than being an injury replacement.
Nonetheless, Rob Refsnyder is a superb talent that should not be overlooked for some of the higher ranked prospects in the Yankees system. He is an aggressive player who could provide New York with utility support for years to come.