Fast-rising Florial getting to experience ELCS with Thunder
TRENTON » Estevan Florial never expected to be in Double-A this season, but once the teenage outfielder began tearing it up, he quickly rose up the prospect chart.
The 19-year-old can cap his rapid rise with an Eastern League championship after he was added to the Thunder’s roster prior to Game 1 against Altoona on Tuesday night at Arm & Hammer Park.
“It’s amazing to come here and to help the team and have (this) experience,” Florial said. “I have to be ready in case they need me. I came to play.”
Ranked as the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Florial slashed .297/.373/.483 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs in 91 games for Low-A Charleston. That earned him a promotion to High-A Tampa where he produced a .303/.368/.461 line in 19 games.
The Yankees opted to move Florial to Double-A after the Florida State League canceled its championship series due to Hurricane Irma. He arrived shortly before Game 3 of the ELDS against Binghamton and has worked out with the team for the last four days.
“I didn’t imagine I was going to be hear,” Florial said. “When my agent called me and said, ‘hey, you’re going to be here,’ I was very happy. I’m going to try and help the team win.”
Thunder manager Bobby Mitchell said he’s most likely to use Florial, who went 23-for-31 on stolen base attempts, as a late-inning pinch runner.
“I’m not sure if he’s ready to steal bags here, but if we could take advantage of some slow pitcher, he would be the guy to come in late to run,” Mitchell said. “I felt like we need that in any series.”
Florial, who was born in Haiti but moved to the Dominican Republic, signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015 only after Major League Baseball declared him ineligible for one year due to discrepancies in his birth certificate.
He debuted in rookie ball shortly after signing and has steadily moved up the ranks. He opened enough eyes at Charleston that he was heavily coveted at the trade deadline, but the Yankees were able to hold onto him.
“It’s something that I try not to worry about,” Florial said. “Even if I think about it, I can’t do anything about it. The only thing I can do is try to do the best I can. I’ll let the manager or all the scouts work on that. It’s something I don’t put my mind to.”
Florial is scheduled to play in the Arizona Fall League where he plans to work on his base running and defense.
“I have to keep working on it because as a young player you have to develop all skills,” Florial said.
Mitchell said Daniel Camarena and Brody Koerner are the likely choices to start Games 4 and 5 in Altoona if the series goes that long.
Camarena, a 24-year-old southpaw, was 2-4 with a 3.81 ERA with the Thunder, but 6-6 overall with a 3.65 ERA in 22 starts between Trenton and Scraton.
Koerner, a 23-year-old right-hander, was 6-3 with a 4.08 ERA in 12 starts. He started Game 2 of the ELDS, but was knocked out after allowing four runs in 2.2 innings.
Altoona has already announced right-handers Alex McRae (10-5, 3.61) and Austin Coley (6-4, 3.01) will start Games 4 and 5, respectively.
Clint Frazier went 2-for-17 with 10 strikeouts during his four-game rehab stint form a left oblique strain, but that didn’t stop the Yankees from activating the 23-year-old from the disabled list and starting him in left field on Tuesday night.