New York Yankees non-roster invitees part one – position players
By Ed Stein
The New York Yankees have invited an interesting group of non-roster players to spring training in 2019. Some have a chance to make the big team while others are big long shots.
The first words of any baseball season are “pitchers and catchers report.” That’s February 13th in Tampa, Florida, for the New York Yankees. Five days later position players report. As with any spring training camp, there are several sets of players.
First, are the main roster locks. For example, unless some sort of trade or injury happens players like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres, and Luis Severino will make the team.
The next group is the up and coming prospects from the 40-man roster. These are the young players, from within the organization, that are looking for a chance to impress the coaching staff.
Finally, we come to the non-roster invitees. Sometimes they are hot young prospect who aren’t on the 40-man roster yet, like Greg Bird in 2014. However, they are usually a group of re-tread major leaguers who couldn’t find a guaranteed job, or career minor leaguers trying to break through for the last time.
There might be the next Aaron Miles. If you don’t know Miles story, here is a rehash. Miles was a good hitting second baseman for several teams in the 2000s. As a matter of fact, he finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting in 2004 with the Rockies. After seven MLB seasons, it looked like his career was over after 2010.
A week before 2011 spring training Miles signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers that included an invite to Major League spring training. He made the team out of camp because of some key injuries. During the season, Miles hit .275 in 454 at-bats while filling for injured players such as Juan Uribe and Rafael Furcal.
Did New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman bring in another Aaron Miles? We look at the non-roster invitees trying to break camp with the Bronx Bombers.