The New York Yankees have their two corner outfield positions locked up for the foreseeable future with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, leaving centerfield as the only outfield position battle going on - for now.
Estevan Florial, New York's second-best prospect, is unlikely to start the season in the majors, but Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News reports the team plans to have him be the final piece of their starting outfield in the next year or two.
Even though he’s still early in his development, many baseball people already foresee Estevan Florial as the next great Yankee, a toolsy 20-year-old centerfielder with 30-30 potential. And in a year or two, it’s possible Florial could find himself between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the outfield grass at Yankee Stadium.
Even though the Bombers have a lot of outfield depth, Florial's name has been a non-starter in trade talks...But if Floral continues to progress at a rapid rate, that depth chart could change quickly in the next couple of years. Aaron Boone said he expects Florial will get in some early playing time in camp.
"His potential is real,” Boone said. “He’s one of those guys we view as a very high-ceiling, great kid. Hopefully we can get him out there quite a bit and help him every step of the process in getting comfortable in the clubhouse, and being around some big-time stars I think it’s going to go a long way in helping him with his development. I think you’ll see him playing quite a bit early in some games.”
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Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Clint Frazier are all battling for the starting centerfield position in spring training, with Hicks expected to win the job.
Florial posted a .298/.372/.479 batting line with 13 homers, 23 steals, and 148 strikeouts in 420 plate appearances in 110 games last season.
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