The New York Yankees And The Inevitability Of “The Kid” (This Year!)
The New York Yankees say he’s too young. He doesn’t have enough “seasoning”. He hasn’t grown accustomed to American culture yet. He hasn’t seen a biting slider from Corey Kluber yet. He doesn’t even know where Trenton is. And he’s not a New York Yankee. All of the above are true. And so is the fact that the kid can play in the majors right now.
The Yankees have one of those situations on their hands where you’re almost damned if you do and damned if you don’t. They picked up this kid last summer in a trade with the Chicago Cubs in what qualifies as the steal (I mean trade) of the century. At the time the plan that Brian Cashman had to make the Yankees younger was alive only in his head. And the Cubs turned out to be his first victim.
The Yankees Reel A Big One In
You’ll recall that the Cubs were well on their way to a division title and were turning their attention to the postseason, when their whole season would come into focus or die. In order to go all the way, they knew that they needed a high profile closer. The Yankees had not just one but two of them and both were for sale. They targeted Ardolis Chapman and they got him. They also won a world title and Chapman figured heavily into that success.
But they also paid a steep price for that success. Because Cashman went for the jugular and stole their number one prospect in the deal, the kid with the first name you never heard of before. The City of New York becomes energized overnight and talk already begins about moving the kid to third, or moving Didi Gregarious , who was in the midst of slamming 20 home runs and knocking in 80, to second base.
Yankees: “Your’e Going To The Desert, Kid”
But almost immediately, Cashman brought out the fire hose and made it clear that the kid was just a kid, so hold your horses. And to quiet the mob, he announced that the kid would be playing in the Arizona Fall League.
The Arizona Fall League (AFL) was created as a alternative to sending a prospect to the Carribian Winter Leagues where it was more difficult for a team to monitor the player’s progress. Graduates of the AFL include Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, Roy Halladay, and Dusty Baker, who went there to sow the seeds for his managing career. Competition is severe and we’re talking about the top tier of each team’s prospects participating. It’s not exactly a mirror of the major leagues, but it can be close to it.
So, this 19 year old kid goes there and he tears the league up hitting over .400 with an impossible on base percentage. And, he wins the Most Valuable Player award hands down. Now what?
Yankees: “Find Trenton On A Map, Kid”
Brian Cashman had an answer ready two weeks ago even before all this happened. “Gleyber Torres will begin 2017 in (Double-A) Trenton, and we’ll see where it goes from there.” We’ll go from there.
To where, Brian? To AAA Scranton, where the kid still won’t be seeing a nasty slider from Corey Kluber, or the knee breaking change up following a high 95mph fastball from Justin Verlander. And where he still won’t have the opportunity to become acclimated to life in the big city, where (by the way) you would have the opportunity to watch and guide him through the assimilation process.
All of that is just the Yankees going through the motions with the kid. Doing what you do with a prospect. Getting him seasoned. For what, Brian? So he can tear up Double-A pitchers too and put up more gaudy numbers that everybody except you can’t ignore.
The Kid: “I Can Do This, You Know”
Okay, look I get it. The Yankees are being cautious with the chunk of gold they’ve been handed. And they want him to “wait his turn” like everyone else has to do. But at some point, doesn’t it get a little ridiculous when you have a kid like this kid? Let him go to spring training at least with the idea that he could go North with the team in April., rather than telling him (now), “You’re ticketed for Trenton, kid”.
Next: How the Royals Can Contend Again in 2017
Besides, I don’t recall anyone currently in the majors who can hit Corey Kluber’s slider either.