The Yankees announced that they’ve designated infielder/outfielder Rob Refsnyder and first baseman Ji-Man Choi for assignment in order to clear space on the roster for last night’s acquisitions of Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. A third 40-man spot wasn’t needed, as Tyler Clippard went to the White Sox in the trade as well. However, the Yankees did option left-hander Chasen Shreve to clear a 25-man spot.
[Related: Updated New York Yankees depth chart]
The 26-year-old Refsnyder generated a fair bit of optimism among Yankees fans as he rose through the system, but he’s never gotten an extended big league look due to questions about his defense. He’s appeared in 94 games across the past three seasons, logging time at second base, first base and in the outfield corners, but his bat has produced just a .241/.312/.332 output through 240 plate appearances. Those questions about his defense always made him more of a favorite among Yankee fans than in prospect rankings, but Refsnyder does carry a solid .292/.372/.424 batting line through 1244 career PAs at the Triple-A level.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that he’s gotten the sense that enough other clubs are intrigued by Refsnyder’s contact skills that the Yankees will be able to trade him before his DFA window expires. (The new CBA changed that allotted window from 10 days to seven days.) The return isn’t likely to be much, but he’s optionable for the remainder of the season, which could appeal to some clubs in need of bench depth.
Choi tallied just 18 PAs in his brief big league tenure with the Yankees but made them count, slugging a pair of homers and a double in his six games in pinstripes. That impressive showing notwithstanding, he’s a career .181/.279/.386 hitter in 147 PAs between the Halos and Yanks, though like Refsnyder he does come with an impressive Triple-A track record. Through 851 PAs at that level, Choi has raked at a .300/.391/.462 clip. He has one option year remaining after the 2017 season, which could be appealing to clubs on the hunt for depth pieces, but he’s also cleared waivers in the past and came to the Yankees on a minor league deal this past January.
But I thought Ref was going to be a part of a Gray trade!!!!!!
Oh, darn. No more Ref+ Dante Jr. + Culver + Exicardio for Gray.
Lol. Nobody was THAT bad.
It got close. Tyler Austin, Mason Williams & Ref were def listed in proposal packages. Three guys OAK has absolutely no reason to acquire at all, unless for free,
Yesterday a yankee homer suggested Alonso, gray, and Lowrie for headley, refsnyder, Choi, culver, and higashioka haha so yes they did get that bad lol he also went as far as to say that the trade was “ok” for the Yankees because they could clear 40 man spots but that it was an “impressive” deal for the A’s since headley would mentor the young guys, culver and refsnyder would anchor the infield for the next 10 years, Choi would be a solid regular and higashioka would be the catcher of the future… quite possible the worst trade proposal I’ve ever seen…
Just went back and checked and he also threw in Tyler Austin as the long term answer at first base…
Jesus Christ. Please no whoever said such a ridiculous thing does not represent all Yankee fans. Have I have said, there are many dumb ones , but there’s also many smart ones. That goes for every fan base actually.
Dead af this is the greatest thing I’ve read all day
They can throw in Williams for gray
Whatever happened to Dante Jr., he just fell off of the face of the Earth
Wow, ref? If this were 2015, there’d be an uproar. During the Stephen drew era, ref was supposed to be the savior.
This is how Yankee media operates: every single NYY prospect is going to be a savior / HOF /everyday player. It almost never happens, and its only gotten really bad recently because of the Judge breakout (who suddenly was an A grade prospect all along, despite being #10 overall and B- graded by almost everyone before he retooled his swing in the offseason and joined team flyball).
Just like other teams media operates. They’re all the same, not just the Yankees.
Aaron Judge never ranked lower than sixth among Yankees prospects on Baseball America’s lists, and entered the season ranked as baseball’s No. 44 prospect per Keith Law. #44 on MLB.com, #63 per B-Pro, #90 per BA,
He was never, ever considered New York’s 10th-best prospect and was never considered a “B-” prospect.
He also has a lower fly-ball rate in 2017 than he did in 2016. His success is largely due to dramatically improving his bat-to-ball skills and reducing his chase rate outside the zone.
That is correct, and thats why I picked him up last year and now keeper league team is looking very promising
@Steve Adams
@Steve Adams
John Sickels listed him #10 and a B/B- guy, that’s what I was referencing.
minorleagueball.com/2016/12/6/13856026/new-york-ya…
That’s a pretty interesting definition of “by almost everyone.”
Hard not to get caught up on here with everyone else massively inflating/deflating every last thing they say. Just wanted to let you know I didn’t pull that one out of thin air!
His point being, you overinflate your opinions.
Judge didn’t shine with the 50% SO rate in ’16 but he has shown the ability to adjust to each level as he rose through the system.
Got em
As do most on here?
I’m down to calm down if everyone else does, like saying Refsynder is going to net Sonny Gray or ANY prospect is “untouchable”.
Dang. Steve Adams laying it down!!
@JAF
People tend to expect others to act the way they themselves act.
That’s just simply Not true did. It’s better to at least look up numbers. Refsnyder in 2014 had an .884 OPS in AAA. Yankees went with Stephen Drew who hit like .190 the previous year. Almost any other team in baseball would have given him a chance. An .884 OPS in AAA is something any fan would get excited about as well. It’s also fair to say he Could have become an everyday player. I wish that was the case in 2015. But in the pas 2 years, he was called up and sent down EIGHT times.
Refsnyder can’t play adequate defense. That’s why he was never given a chance. You can quote OPS all you want, but unless the guy is Daniel Murphy with the bat, teams will not allow their middle infielders to be butchers. And his bat isn’t good enough to carry a corner OF.
I’d still take that .884 OPS with below average defense of Drew.
*over Drew.
Really, still? His numbers looked decent but he couldn’t play D. If he could play 2nd even passably he would have gotten a real shot. It is very telling that all of the professional baseball people the Yankees employee didn’t think Ref could field. The death knell for his career was when they played him at 1st and outfield. He literally is nothing if those are his positions, the stick isn’t even close to carrying him in those spots. Let him go and he can go be a quad A guy in some other system and accrue a couple more weeks of service time here and there. In 5 years he’ll be coaching or selling insurance.
Reminds me of the KC media and faithful who’ve been singing the chorus that Whit Merrifield is the second coming of Christ, yet curiously the Royals are in the market for a starting 2B. Apparently the media gets different memos than the front office does.
Merrifield plays outfield too
Try reading Steve Adam’s fact filled reply.
Why don’t you stop with the Yankee trolling and stop being an overall jerk with every post you make that refers to the Yankees or their fans.
Because they didn’t make any kind of trade for Gray/Alonso like he hoped/predicted. This guy makes multiple trade starting with “it will happen” or ” such and such player will” with everyone.
2015 is over. Ask any Yankee fan and they’ll say Giraddi ****ed up. Stephen Drew was the definition of a ‘bum’ when he played for the Yankees (not Nationals today) and it boggles my mind to this day why Girardi kept rolling Drew over Refsnyder day-by-day.
Well now is your time! You will get to see just how much the rest of the baseball world values Refsnyder. I’m sure he will be a starting player for someone’s triple A team very soon. Drew certainly sucked, I’m positive watching Ref butcher the teams middle infield D while not hitting much would have sucked more.
Girardi*
Someone will give a PTBNL for Rob, and I hope he gets at bats somewhere. Choi will clear, and head back to AAA.
What!?!?!?!? I thought the yankees wanted to trade Ref for Mike Trout, or maybe a Bryce Harper
I saw so many trade proposals as him as the centerpiece of Quintana deal ha ha ha ha
Centerpiece? I’m sorry but no. There are idiots , but there are no, as Chris Jericho would say in caps, STUPID FREKIN IDIOTS.
Drink it in maaaaaaaasn
They never really gave Refsnyder a real look at the MLB level. He didn’t get consistent playing time and was always said to be a player who could hit at the MLB level but had no true defensive position.
I agree. Seemed like he never fit into any of the Yankees real plans. Always shuffled back and forth and around. Playing with that uncertainty all the time, must take a toll on. a player. Surprised they did not work him into a trade prior to this. I think with a legitimate shot he can be an acceptable MLBer. Nothing great, but no worse than some of the other players out there.
I’d like to see the Phillies grab him. Definite upgrade over Ty Kelly and they’re going to need a UTL guy for next season.
If you want to put a little blood in the water, just mention “Refsynder”. It’s like “Frau Blucher” in Young Frankenstein
Refsnyder’s real problem is that he’s a ‘tweener. The bat would play at second or short or maybe third, but he can’t handle those positions defensively. If he could he might have become a martin prado type. The bat doesn’t play at first or in the outfield. He’s a bench piece if anything.
Refsnyder kinda seems like an Indians-esque pickup, which is okay with me as long as it’s just for cash or a really insignificant minor leaguer. Francona loves guys that can play multiple positions (even if they can’t play any of them particularly well i.e. Michael Martinez), there’s still hope for at least a bat that’s bench quality, and if I’m not mistaken, Refsnyder is an Arizona Wildcat which would be a nice little bonus to Tito and Mills.
And the Indians are also really patient with young players so I could definitely see them stashing him in Columbus for a little while and seeing if they can do something with him.
Sounds like a great JD replacement…Tigers can get his stock up and flip him for prospects later…maybe an older prospect like Lwicki or Jaye or some cash. it would make sense to invest in a high ceiling player with little risk…
It does make sense to invest in high ceiling players with little risk. Unfortunately, that type of player, and Ref, are two different things.
I’ll miss the pictures of him standing next to Judge.
that wasn’t him.
That’s Torreyes. Not Refsnyder.
well, eppler does enjoy getting people he knows from the yankees. Yankees fans, how is he defensively?
Somewhere between mediocre and not good. I think the word is meh
dang
Angels picking up ref after they just DFA espinoza.
Very possible
dumb ? does refsnyder have options
Yes. He’s been optioned numerous times already.
Mike! You happy with the Kahnle trade?
Yes I am Eck! Win win trade for both clubs
Ref should’ve gotten his shot in 2015 instead of Drew. Hopefully a team will give him regular at bats somewhere
Why didn’t they just option Refsnyder then?
Optioning doesnt create 40 man spots. Which they probably needed for Frazier Robertson and Kahnle.
DFA Refsnyder and Choi plus moving someone to the 60 day DL creates open spots for the new players. Rutherford and Clarkin probably werent given 40 man spots, least to my knowledge.
One criticism I have of the Yankees, of whom I am a devoted fan, that is also an issue with baseball as a whole, is how they view talent and potential vs actual performance.
Baseball gurus lovvvvvvvvve to forecast what a player will do (aka Blake Rutherford, Mason Williams, Slade Hitchott and all the other prospects across the baseball spectrum but then ignore actual production among age/level of competition appropriate artists that ARE producing,
Why are the Yankees NOT giving guys like Ji-Man Choi or AAA’s Mike Ford a long look at 1B? Choi has a very good minor league pedigree and has been decent in his very short stint. Mike Ford has shown power, a high OBP and solid contact ability over the last 3 or4 years in the minors yet he hasn’t been talked about, isn’t on any top 100 lists and not even considered a top 25-30 organizational prospect. What gives?
Furthermore, it follows a historical trend (meaning not including the Judges. Sanchez or Servino era) where our industry ranked top prospects (I say industry as opposed to Yankee fandom hype) like Hughes, Joba, IPK and Montero MIGHT be a bit overhyped yet guys like Cano, Gardner, Wang, Gamel, Nova, Cervelli, etc fly under the radar and become viable mlb players with long careers (except for Wang who was never the same after his injury),
I think we have to get past the idea that a prospect is only a top prospect if they appear on a top 100 list. Tito Polo could easily end up being the best player in the package we sent to ChiSox. I’m not begrudging him being included in the package. I’m just saying that based upon his solid numbers and age, why can’t he be the real thing? He hit .307/.369/.455 w/ 27 sb and a little bit of power and is currently age 22 at the AA level. Who’s to say that he won’t be a true star one day?
Back to my point, why not give Ji-Man or Mike Ford a shot instead of relying on a Frazier type? I think Ford is off the 10 day dl.
Back to my point, why not give Ji-Man or Mike Ford a shot instead of relying on a Frazier type?
If it didn’t work once this season, let’s try it again, and again. What is the difference between these two?
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&…
Don’t understand your point? Are you agreeing or disagreeing with my point? I think you might be agreeing since your link shows the horrible results of both the Carter experiment.
Agreeing. They cut Carter, then brought him back, then cut him again, then traded for his clone.
Gotcha.
All sports do that.
Not really. It’s not equal ground. NBA and NFL don’t have a “true” minor league system they can use to nurture players. Therefore, in the draft, you’re not going to rate two QBs with equal stats the same if one is from Alabama/SEC and the other is from Dartmouth/Ivy League conference. Same can be said about the PG from Kentucky vs the PG from Hofstra. But in the minors, the competition is more even aside from some regions where the elevation might lead to more offense and other variances. Why is it that Mike Ford’s numbers are not viewed in the same light as whoever the top Eastern League prospect is?
Gotcha. Good points.
Choi to me is the one who deserves a longer look from some team, if not the Yankees. 90 or so ABs last year plus 18 this year hasn’t really given him long enough to try to live up to some pretty interesting AAA numbers.
I agree! I think the Yankees would’ve been just fine with just acquiring Robertson and giving more kids their shot
Tough day for Koreans!!!