Brian Cashman said Rob Refsnyder will get some work at 3B this spring in preparation for possible backup role to... https://t.co/VcvPvIKLVg— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) February 25, 2016
Pretty much a no-brainer here. It's safe to say that in terms of prospect development Refsnyder is lagging behind. A lot of people predicted (at least I was hoping) that he was going to win the starting job at second out of camp last season and he never even came close. He's going to be 25 this season so it's probably time to see if you're ever going to get anything out of this guy. He's got no chance to see time at second now that Castro's here and Ackley is in the mix. There's so much outfield depth on this team and in the organization that he probably wouldn't get a chance out there if he stuck around for ten more years.
That leaves third base. Lucky for Refsnyder that's probably the Yankees' biggest negative right now. I wouldn't exactly call it a hole, but Headley was the worst everyday player on the team last year. An absolute nightmare defensively, lousy with the bat and we're stuck with him for the next three years at $13 million per. If Headley picks up this year where he left off there's definitely going to be an opportunity for ABs, especially against left-handed pitching. And who knows? If Refsnyder shows something early on he may turn into a valuable deadline trade chip.
The problem of course is going to be the transition. I don't know Refnsyder well enough to forecast the kind of third baseman he'll be. The hot corner is completely reactionary. I have no idea if he has the arm either (he came up an outfielder so it can't be that awful, right?). But it's definitely worth a shot. Last year the bar was set at 23 errors so it'll be hard to disappoint.
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