Numerous major league players and highly regarded prospects signed their first professional contracts with little fanfare or hype only to emerge to their high profile status after years of hard work. It appears that the Yankees have found another player who will fit in this category, as Andres Chaparro’s big time offensive season is making a strong play for a 40-man roster spot despite never having been one of the Yankees highly regarded prospects during his time in the organization.
The Yankees signed the Venezuelan native on July 2, 2015, the opening of that year’s International Free Agency period.