The Yankees announced that outfielder Estevan Florial has been outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He had been designated for assignment last week when the club added Colten Brewer to its roster.
Florial, 25, has been on the Yankees’ roster since November of 2019. He’s hit just .185/.302/.278 in the big leagues so far for a wRC+ of 69, indicating he’s been 31% worse than the league average hitter. He also struck out in a third of his plate appearances at the big league level.
Despite that uninspiring performance, it comes as a surprise to see Florial pass through waivers unclaimed. Those tepid major league numbers have come in just 63 plate appearances scattered over four separate seasons, hardly worth reading too much into. He was a highly-touted prospect in his time in the minor leagues, with Baseball America ranking him #38 in the league in 2018. His prospect stock has fallen in subsequent years, but he’s still posted some intriguing numbers in the minors. In Triple-A last year, he hit 15 home runs and stole 39 bases in 101 games. His .283/.368/.481 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 124. He’s also considered a strong defender in center field, making him a well-rounded performer in the minor leagues.
That’s not to say his profile is without blemish. The main concern with Florial is the strikeouts. He’s continued to get punched out at high rates at pretty much every level of the minors. Although his overall numbers in Triple-A last year were strong, they came with a 30.4% strikeout rate. He’s also exhausted his options over the past few years as the Yankees have continually transferred him to the big leagues and back to the farm. That meant that any claiming team would have had to plug Florial onto their active roster. Despite his obvious tools, it seems no club was willing to give him that shot.
Florial will now stick with the Yankees but without occupying a spot on their 40-man roster. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of MLB service time, he doesn’t have the right to reject the assignment and elect free agency. He’ll report to the RailRiders and try to cut down on the strikeouts in order to earn his way back onto the roster.
Surprise surprise… No one claimed Florial…
Yet again, another overrated Yankees prospect. Next up on this list: Volpe?
Common, cheap swipes are kind of unlike you, Dorothy.
The self-designated thread referee.
Shut it, corny.
You mean overrated like Tristan Casas?
Now that’s an interesting argument. I can’t speak for Volle but Casas is the real deal who just needs to get comfortable in the big leagues. it’s obviously too early to judge either player but Casas’ power and discipline is made for Fenway. Remember Sox fans in 06 wanted to boo Pedie back to Pawtucket back in April. He still became the ROTY and was MVP the following season.
@dewey-I think Casas is a really good player. I feel Volpe is good also. I was just striking back, truthfully. Obviously the Red Sox should keep him in Boston. If Volpe can play a decent shortstop, the Yankees should entertain trading Oswald Peraza in a Reynolds package and then extending Gleyber Torres.
Agreed on Color but also don’t get fooled by Torres. Extending him might make sense but to me even if he’s the real deal, the price is going to be costly and the better move might be to use that money on pitching.
Its really early, but its possible. 3 for 18 with a 49 OPS+ to start his MLB career. Having watched him play I am doubtful that is how his 2023 seasons ends up. .225 with a .405 OPS is much more likely than his current .177
as a yankee fan who watched most of his 2022 MLB at-bats i sadly agree. he might be one of those guys who is so good at controlling the strike zone he risks becoming too passive a la nick johnson
dasit – JD Drew has entered the conversation.
Stop it! It’s been less than two weeks and you already claiming him to be a bust. And the sad thing is if he came out of the gate on fire you would be saying he is the next Jeter.
Volpe’s bat will measure up to the hype. Unfortunately atrocious is the kindest word that can be used to describe his defense. The best player whose career I would say Volpe has a good chance of replicating is Hanley Ramirez. They should have sent him to Miami for Pablo and let them deal with that defense. His bat is excellent for a SS or catcher but won’t be enough to allow a position change to a corner OF spot. Yeah they should have traded him.
Oh and Florial’s hype doesn’t belong solely to the Yankees and their fans. He was seen as the best international prospect for his year until the story broke that he was actually older than he originally claimed. That’s why the Yankees got him so cheap. The Yankees need to ship him to the Rays and let them fix him. He still has the tools just needs some guy
Wow. WoW! WOW!
Wow-HOW-how-HOW-how-WOW!
You are no credit to Yankee fans with that mindless crap.
You’re no credit. Period. Be quiet.
It’s not just the Yankees who don’t think he can hit MLB pitching.
Would you rather have Florial or Andujar at this point with salary being the same?
Probably neither at this stage, but if forced to choose, I’d lean Andujar. Florial’s pitch recognition issue likely can’t be fixed. Andujar has shown he can hit MLB pitching, but that was prior to his shoulder surgery. There might be some hope with him that he’ll regain full function the further from surgery he gets. Florial’s pitch recognition issue is a fatal flaw. He can mask it some in AAA, but MLB pitchers will relentlessly expose it.
I was hoping some team picked him up and gave him a chance. The Rockies? He has the skills to cover the open space there defensively, and the altitude limits the effectiveness of breaking pitches.
I suspect the timing hurt his chances of being claimed. Most teams have full 40-man rosters and probably didn’t want to make changes yet. Wouldn’t surprise me if he gets claimed if the Yankees recall him later in the season and then try and pass him through waivers again.
“Outright” shocking
He needs to get out of the NY system. Feel like that would be a benefit to both.
The other systems don’t want him.
nobody wants to trade for him, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t sign somewhere relatively quickly if he were released instead. clearly the Yanks would prefer to have the OF depth and hope he can figure things out
If he was claimed, no trade would be necessary. Florial is just not wanted for just the cost of his contract. Every Team decided their 40th man was more valuable. In spite of this, I’m sure his name will be included in many trade proposals in the future.
He could have been had for free, No one wanted him.
That’s not how that works
Yes, he disrupts the nervous and digestive systems of anyone who has seen him play
@StudWinfield You were right! I owe you a beer or two.
I put up $20 on PSA and someone raised me to $100. Now I have bragging rights for awhile. Lol
I’m wondering if bleacher creature has me on mute lol no reply button next to his comment 🙁
If he did he’s soft af tbh. More like a luxury suite softie than a bleacher creature
In a league where everyone needs CF depth (or a starter), no one wants to give this guy a chance? What’s the deal? Is he un-coachable? Disruptive in the clubhouse? Pache keeps getting chances and he doesn’t even hit in the minors.
Any theories Yankees’ fans?
See @LordD99’s comment. He’s got fundamental issues which can’t be taught or fixed. Someone mentioned Pedro Cerrana from the movie Major League – can’t hit breaking pitches.
It wouldn’t shock me if he were now (or sometime this season) traded. While no team was willing to put him on their 26 man active roster, it’s quite likely there are teams who would take him for their AAA team and bring him up as needed or next spring, whichever comes first..
He’s out of options, so that partly explains why teams are reluctant. But I’m surprised that no one felt they needed the depth at the ML level.
29 other teams passing on a decent CF capable Outfielder is quite telling
Sometimes I think it tells us that ML GM’s have more pride than sense.
Capable of what? A 69 ops+ and 30% k rate? No one needs that on their mlb roster.
63 AB.
30% k rate over 2500 minor league PA’s
The last 2 seasons in AAA he had 715 AB and 252 SO. 35.2% K rate.
Sometimes 63 ABs is enough to tell. It seemed to be for the Yankees.
Called it
Does the crow taste any better after Frazier, Andujar and now Florial?
Ruben Rivera 2.0
Did Florial steal stuff from Jeter too?
But, but, I thought analytics didn’t care about strikeouts? That’s why we have garbage players like Gallo.
It doesn’t, if you do other things. No slg or opb from him either. It’s always funny when people that don’t understand a topic try to make sarcastic comments and just out their ignorance.
It’s sad that you took an obviously sarcastic post in a serious manner and got upset so much that you needed to reply. You must be a Gallo fan boy. Guy should be out of the MLB. He adds no value to baseball.
Not every prospect works out, and this was a tough time for someone with issues to get picked up–40 man roster spots are filled. So, you have to ask yourself if you want to option someone down, or DFA someone. Maybe he gets his act together
So…can GMs be traded? If so, do they hold veto rights? Does Boone have veto rights?
When the Orioles surpass the Yankees in the standings, will that upset Yankee fans?
I was kinda hoping for a NY- NY old time WS…..doesn’t look hopeful if the O’s beat them regularly.
.235 with 3 HRs for Joey Gallo thus far. Garbage player? Perhaps just a dude who couldn’t handle NY. He ain’t the first.
Garbage player. If .235 with 3 HRs is noteworthy, stop the presses. He’ll regress to the mean.
The guys was hardly used in four years yet when Hicks first came he he sucked yet they kept letting him go out their and learn and the next year got better and the next year as well.. If you arent gonna use these guys trade them before they hit 25 and they regress which happens to Yankees prospects. Florial was 4 years younger than Aaron Judge when he frist got here and half his at bats were strikeouts yet you keep letting these guys hardly hit and when you do decided to use them they are older adn regresses. Brett Gardner was a fourth fielding looking player for a few years.
If you would’ve painted Florial white and started calling him Joey Gallo they would throw him a friggin ticker-tape parade in NY for the stats he put up (and I mean probably would’ve hit .230 and struck out 1/2 the times).
It’s amazing what kind of leash you get if you look and sound similar to your boss.
Ridiculous take. Maybe Florial didn’t get a fair chance. His paint color has nothing to do with it. One of the all time greats in his way is Aaron Hickups.
The fact that you can’t see the difference in stats between him and Gallo says all anyone needs to know about you. Please take your racism somewhere else.
Cashman had many opportunities to trade Florial at his peak value when he was younger, but again another hyped prospect that wasn’t developed by the yankee system. What a surprise.
Granted not every prospect can be a future all star, but part of being a good gm is knowing when to sell high and brian Cashman is horrendous at this skill, yet is rewarded with a longer tenure, which ultimately proves that the person who signs his check is even more of an idiot then him.
True that.
I don’t think it’s the fact that nobody want’s Florial, it’s more of bad-timing issue. It’s less than 8 games into the season and every teams roster is pretty healthy and set. If this happened in June, he would have been snapped up quickly. I’m a “glass half full” kind of guy and I do like Florial for some reason.
This Yanks4life22 is a tool. He (she?) is the poster child for everything wrong with our society. So, let me break it down for you genius: MLB is a complete meritocracy; you can either hit the curve, make the catch, launch the throw…or not. Color of skin has nothing…let me repeat that…nothing to do with it. If Florial could hit just above his weight he’d be with the club now. So…please.