2023 in Ex-Yankee Prospects

 

I've checked on this in the past, but this week more than a lot of others, I've been hearing a lot about people the Yankees gave up on. Almost all of them are on the west coast. And they're all making waves.

Thairo Estrada is honestly the big one, because he's got a definite ASG case, which is...odd. The Giants have made ASG-caliber second baseman out of Marco Scutaro, Donovan Solano, and now Thairo Estrada, it's extremely admirable. Estrada is the Giants' best player right now, he's hitting .296 with 15 steals and excellent defense, all you'd want in a well-rounded player. I'm glad the Giants could find room in the infield for Estrada, because the Yankees had trouble with that, hence the trade. I do like how many nonchalantly flipped guys, like Estrada, Wade, Yaz, Davis and Sabol are among the best parts of this team, even if they are still going for big signings like Conforto and Pederson.

You also have Mike Ford in Seattle. It took Ford a little while to find a consistent place that needed a power bat, but the Mariners have been using him a lot lately, and he has 4 home runs in 9 games. For comparison's sake, A.J. Pollock has that many in 38 games. Ford might end up being a decent clutch bat for the Ms, unless they somehow plan on using him as an everyday DH, which, even with this come-up, may still be ill-advised.

Curiously, Mike Tauchman is hitting .299 as a contact outfielder for the Cubs. I kinda wrote him off after leaving the Yanks, but he's somehow an excellent contact bat, and he's already got a 0.9 WAR in 23 games in Chicago. He was getting a ton of starts in center before Bellinger came back, and now that he's returned, Tauchman might end up being a depth guy or fourth outfielder, possibly an excuse for Bellinger or someone to DH. 

Obviously the A's are crawling with ex-Yanks about now. Four out of five current A's starters came from the Yankees farm system. J.P. Sears, James Kaprielian, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina, all of them former Yankees. Kind of hysterical, honestly. Unsurprisingly, J.P. Sears is the best of the bunch, because last year he was a really nice depth starter for us. 65 Ks and a 1.111 WHIP isn't the worst you can do for a last place team.

The most intriguing one, to me, is Gary Sanchez. The Padres spent a ton of money on DHs this year, on Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz, and neither really lived up to past success. So they took a flyer on Sanchez after he slumped out of Queens, and somehow he's cracked it. In 14 games he's hit 15 RBIs and 6 homers, with a .936 OPS and a higher WAR than Jake Cronenworth. I have no idea how long this is going to last but it's kinda insane to watch him play competent baseball for the first time in a while.

There's others, obviously, but those are the ones that have stood out to me lately. Estrada's having the career year he's deserved to have, and I'm glad it's with a team who treats him properly.

Coming Tonight: A guy I saw a few times preseason that I kinda knew would have a really nice year.

Hand-Me-Down Giants

 

I don't know if you can credit this to Gabe Kapler, or the GMs, or whatever, but the Giants have been able to craft a lot of their team by making great players out of people other teams just hand to them. You look at this team, and they're everywhere. Mike Yastrzemski, Darin Ruf, Jakob Junis, Luis Gonzalez, LaMonte Wade...and now Thairo Estrada, who took a relatively open 2nd base race and became a really fun infield standout.

Thairo Estrada was a Yankees bench guy for years who we never really knew what to do with, and while I kinda figured we'd get rid of him eventually, I had no idea he'd eventually save his career by making camp with the Giants. So far this year, Estrada is .265 with 31 RBIs, and, while not a great defender, is definitely a solid young lineup presence. After Kapler already found Donovan Solano and made him a prominent lineup piece, seeing him do this again with Estrada is kind of incredible. 

And the further you go, you see more and more cases of people in useful roles who other teams gave up on. Jason Vosler was a Cubs prospect who didn't pan out, and now he's a bench bat when healthy. Donovan Walton was a Mariners bench guy that didn't work, and now he's been a decent backup infielder. Austin Wynns was a backup catcher in Baltimore, and now backing up Curt Casali he's hitting .242 and providing a decent upside. Heck, the Giants just brought YERMIN MERCEDES up. Yes, someone is giving the Yerminator another chance, and after the trouble he had with LaRussa, I am so happy that it's Gabe Kapler, one of the most progressive and forward-thinking managers in the league, that's giving it to him. Though he's yet to really get going, I do think that Mercedes has more of a chance to do so here than if he was back in Chicago.

And while this team can do little things like that really well, it's still clear how imperative their big moves have been. Signing Carlos Rodon was an excellent choice, as he's not only sporting a 2.70 ERA with 101 strikeouts but he's not overshadowing Logan Webb. Joc Pederson was not only a nice power-hitting pickup for the Giants, but he's been a wonderful clubhouse presence, and the fans love him so much that he's doing super well in the All-Star voting, which I can't exactly dispute. 

I think the Giants have a lot to conquer in order to really go after the Padres or Dodgers, but the things they're doing have led to a very efficient, smartly-run team that may be wiser than being streaky. I hope this pays off for them.

Coming Tonight: He leads a 40-win team in RBIs. Most times that might actually mean something.