That's 7th in the International League, where he also sits 4th in RBIs (69) and 10th in OPS (.896). His 11 HRs puts him in the top tier, and minor league gold glove awards spackle his resume. At age 25, the 6'5" lefty hitter has never seen a MLB pitch. And, at least with the Yankees, he probably never will.
Apparently, Rumfield is one of those Triple A fixtures - the IL leader boards currently include Nick Solak and Bobby Dalbec - who rule Toledo and Rochester until the call comes to play in Japan. But Solak and Dalbec had shots in The Show. Rumfield has never had such a moment.
Today, with the MLB trade deadline ticking, and the Yankees desperate for pitching, pitching, pitching... this could be Rumfield's best shot at a fighting chance. Could he be in a prospects bundle headed toward Vegas, or Milwaukee, or somewhere where non-prospects go to be reborn?
Full disclosure, I've only seen Rumfield once, in Syracuse. From my seat down the right field line, I calculated a 72-degree swing arc which, when coupled with a 51-pound pressure variant handle grip, and a 12-inch butt stride, could impair his ability to give Yankee talent scouts the required oral stimulation.
That said, I - like Yank fans everywhere - have pondered Rumsfield's numbers and said, WHY THE HELL DIDN'T WE SIGN BRYCE HARPER? WTF? Here's a slick-fielding moose with a lifetime .277 BA, and they're sitting on him like a sun-room recliner from Raymour & Flanigan, while playing the likes of Billy McKinney, Jake Bauers and Franchy Cordero. Seriously, how bad can the guy be? Doesn't he deserve a chance?
I'm reminded of Brigadoon Refsnyder, who the Yankees kicked around for four years, and who has cobbled together a fine career, often at our expense. Is Rumfield the new Brig?
Okay, it's worth noting that the Yankees left Rumfield unprotected in last winter's Rule 5 draft - like the previous December - and no team called his name. I don't know why the scouts have nixed him. Does he talk to TVs? Does his mouth move when he reads? Does he use the wrong salad fork? Dunno.
All of which leaves me wondering: WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T THEY SIGN BRYCE HARPER! THE GUY CAME TO NYC LOOKING FOR A CONTRACT! THEY WENT AND HID. Today, could a trade send Rumfield somewhere with a future? Could this be his Liberation Day?
Final note: Just wondering... the way the Yankees have traded for RH hitting in the last two days, you'd almost wonder whether Aaron Judge might be out for a longer period of time than they claim. Or am I crazy to think such a thing.
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11 comments:
Good question. Why didn't another team snap him up? Is it because T.J. stands for Tommy John and the associated surgery? Is it too close to T.J. Maxx, which is too discount for Hal's blood? Or is it because TJ is an abbreviation for Tajikistan and nobody knows where it is?
I don't see how they give Rumfield more than a cup of coffee, if that. Goldy and Rice are blocking his way. Goldy is gone after this year, right? Does that mean Rice is the heir apparent at first?
Well, whatever happens, you can be sure that Cashman will do something stupid or half-assed. We need pitching, so you'd think Dylan Cease and maybe Jake Bird (maybe). We'll end up with Nestor coming back and getting Chad Green from the trash heap. And even that's being optimistic.
I’ve been wondering about TJ for a couple of years, and I know our own Hoss has been apoplectic about this. My guess would be analytics is behind it all somehow, that he fails some metric, and BA, HR’s, & RBI’s be damned. Or is it just the old canard that anyone can play 1B. Then again, no other team wanted him? Are they all this blind? Hope he finds a new home and succeeds there.
Fun fact -- Tajikistan is next to Uzbekistan, one of two double landlocked countries.
Plus they have a funny alphabet.
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan...more Stans than a Catskills polka fest.
TJ also stands for Tapered Jeans - something that Hal loves to wear and in fact, can’t get enough of and is what he’s usually wearing when the Intern Pal ( IP ) makes one of his secret visits . . .
Here is everything you want to know about the analytics of TJ Rumsfeld. My God, how did baseball talent evaluators ever determine skill with just their eyes!
https://prospectsavant.com/player/681198
And that's a winner, JM! "More Stans than a Catskills polka fest"—oh, baby, I love it!
Thanks for taking up the cause, guys! Hey, I don't know if Rumfield will be anything—but I'm old enough to remember when everyone was shocked because the Yankees traded Steve Balboni and went with that Mattingly kid.
Sooner or later—and PREFERABLY SOONER—you gotta put the prospects in there, to sink or swim. If Rumfield had, say, gone 0-25 and just fielded like he has down in the minors, we might well have won the World Series last year. But that is never, ever a risk that Cashie the Sad-Eyed Clown is going to take.
Infuriating!
A GM with a clue what he's doing would notice that his starting first baseman is an aging free agent at the end of the season, and try to figure out who might best replace him next year. That would mean giving kids like Rumfield a chance to show what they can do. So that come January, you wouldn't sign another aging veteran because he's a known quantity and you still have no idea of what your internal options are capable.
Like Doug said of Volpe, I don't expect elite. I'd be very happy with a good GM. At this point I'd settle for mediocre. But even that seems to be too much to ask from this organisation.
I went to one of those polka fests with my girlfriend at the time, my parents, and a couple aunts. Must have been 30 years ago. And I danced the polka, astonishing my parents. Not well, but I did.
Some flourish away from the Yankees, Remember McBroom?
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