By and large, I don’t care about prospects until they hit Double-A, and even then, I keep a fairly distant eye on them. The Yankee system has more high-potential arms than bats anyway, so imagine my surprise this spring when a very large first baseman started clubbing home runs in exhibition play.
Chris Gittens notched a 1.247 OPS in spring ball, albeit in just 24 plate appearances, and hit three out of the park. Since beginning his Triple-A assignment, his first time playing at that high a level, he’s just kept rolling, with a 234 wRC+ in his first 44 PAs.