O’NEILL SET TO MAKE A SPLASH
than offsets the whiffs, putting O’Neill in position to make a big splash in 2017.
The Yankee effect
Infielder Gleyber Torres was a good prospect in the Chicago Cubs system when he was traded to the New York Yankees at this summer’s deadline as part of the deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to Chicago.
Once he put on pinstripes, though, he was anointed as a player who will shortly become a cornerstone in the Bronx for years.
Whether Torres, 19, lives up to expectations as he moves through New York’s system will begin to play out with more certainty next spring. What is known so far is that Torres is solid but not spectacular at the plate, posting a .282 batting average and a .356 on-base percentage through 1,147 at-bats.
Look for Torres to spend the bulk of 2017 at Class AA Trenton (N.J.), which should prove to be a better barometer than his time in the high Class A Carolina or Florida State leagues.
Tebow time
What did the New York Mets have in mind when they signed Tim Tebow? Publicity? An appeal to Yoenis Cespedes (they share an agent)? Or was it simply a baseball decision, as general manager Sandy Alderson said in a news conference this month? Whatever the reason, fans get a chance to see Tebow in the instructional league over the next few weeks in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The prevailing opinion among scouts, executives and pundits is that Tebow, 29, doesn’t have the skills or the experience to be a major leaguer. However, don’t be surprised if the Mets stick him the low-A South Atlantic League next spring or even the high-A Florida State League if he makes it through spring training. If nothing else, he’ll sell tickets in the South, where he was a Southeastern Conference football legend nearly a decade ago.
For now, though, he’ll be in St. Lucie drawing crowds to the otherwise ignored instructional league. Tebow plans to honor his commitment as an analyst with the SEC Network, meaning he’ll likely be missing from the diamond several days a week, a point that has led to more skepticism regarding his signing.
Traveling Yard Goats
Whether the Hartford (Conn.) Yard Goats will actually have their own yard continues to be a problem that might not be solved by the time the 2017 season opens. The Goats played the 2016 season on the road because Dunkin’ Donuts Park was never completely finished.
It was a saga that kept dragging on and on as the Class AA Eastern League made one announcement after another as to when the building would open.
The league, the city of Hartford and team ownership finally gave up and appeared to point to next spring as the grand opening. The original project developer was fired, and Arch Insurance was brought in to assess and complete the project. Eastern League President Joe McEacharn said last month there were no guarantees that the league will be in Hartford next season.
Arch, however, guaranteed there would be baseball in Hartford next season and that they were choosing a construction company to finish the project.
Brave(s) new world
Atlanta brought up shortstop Dansby Swanson, the 22-year-old top pick in the 2015 draft, late this summer and had plans to have Ozzie Albies, 19, vie for a spot on the major league roster next spring. Albies began transitioning to second base in June and played there for much of the season at Class AAA Gwinnett (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Class AA (Pearl) Mississippi.
However, he broke his right elbow this month on a swing while fouling off a pitch and will require surgery. Albies will not be able to play in the Arizona Fall League, and it is unclear when he will be able to resume baseball activities, leaving doubt as to whether he and Swanson will be manning the infield together when the Braves open their new ballpark next spring. Albies hit .301 (102-for-339) as a second baseman after batting .271 (56for-207) at shortstop.
Crashing the gates
If the current trend is any indication, look for Minor League Baseball to have another big season in 2017. This year marked the 12th consecutive season that more than 41 million fans turned out to watch minor league ball. The 41,377,202 fans represent the ninth-largest attendance figure in history. Indianapolis of the Class AAA International League topped all clubs with 636,888 fans.
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