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AllSportsTucson.com staffer Alec Sills-Trausch captures Rob Refsnyder’s special moment
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If Rob Refsnyder’s two games at Boston’s Fenway Park this weekend was an audition, he should be given the opportunity to become the New York Yankees’ permanent second baseman.
The performance of Refsnyder, a former Arizona Wildcats standout who led the team’s charge to a 2012 national title, should at least land him a spot on the Yankees’ roster coming out of the All-Star break this week.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters of the four-day break: “I have a lot of time to think about things as we move forward”.
Refsnyder, who homered over Fenway’s Green Monster today in New York’s 8-6 win, showed this weekend that he is too valuable to send back to Class AAA Scranton. The Yankees also need more time to see Refsnyder develop before labeling him as Stephen Drew’s replacement.
Drew has 12 home runs but he is batting only .187. Refsnyder was batting .290 with seven home runs with Scranton.
“(Refsnyder’s) a player who has value,” Girardi told reporters after today’s game, “and we want to see him play.”
Refsnyder ran the gamut today, achieving his first major-league hit, his first major-league home run, and his first major-league error. His two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning proved to be the game-winner because in the bottom of the inning his mishandling of a double-play throw attempt to second allowed Boston to escape with two runs afterward.
Refsnyder had 13 errors in 81 games with Scranton. Reassuring to him, however: Girardi stuck with him defensively in the bottom of the ninth instead of using Drew as a defensive replacement. The move almost backfired but Girardi told reporters he had “no hesitation” keeping Refsnyder at second base heading into the bottom of the ninth.
“We just thought we would leave him in there to play,” Girardi said. “That’s what we brought him in to do. We wanted to see the kid play and how he reacted. I thought he reacted pretty well today.”
The following is a slideshow of some top Twitter reactions of Refsnyder’s special weekend (click on “NEXT” to move forward) …
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Shoutout to former UA star @Rob_Refsnyder – today he blasted one over the Green Monster for his first #MLB home run pic.twitter.com/VCjWaq7Hsr
— GOAZCATS.com (@GOAZCATScom) July 13, 2015
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