The Final Farewell

Goodbye Rob Refsnyder.

The end of an era is over. He was the beginning of the Youth movement that has now surpassed him. It’s part of the cold hard reality when it comes to baseball… Refsnyder is a good guy but he is a good guy that just didn’t have a future in this organization.

Refsnyder was hyped to be part of the future and a top prospect when he was drafted in 2012. The Yankees spent the past few years bouncing him back and forth between the majors and Triple-A. He had many opportunities at first base, second base as well as right and left field but nothing ever clicked. Refsnyder just didn’t have a home and while the rest of his peers progressed he was a bouncing ball and eventually the Yankees ran out of options this week.

After the Yankees designated him for assignment they worked out a trade sending him to Toronto for minor league first baseman Ryan McBroom.

Refsnyder may not have been the prospect with the most talent in the Yankees organization, but he definitely has a good head and a good heart. Not all great baseball players have the complete package of talent and character and I am reminded of that from time to time. Refsnyder reminded me that there are still some REALLY good role models out here when we wrote I’M HIGH ON ROB REFSNYDER. It was that simple interaction that made me a fan of Refsnyder the person not just as a baseball fan. He left a lifetime impression on not only that kid, but me too.

That is why I appreciate what Refsnyder did for the Yankees because he represented us well. It sucks when you have an example where “nice guys finish last” like here, but now Refsnyder will have a new opportunity and hopefully succeed on the Blue Jays who are also in their own rebuilding mode. Maybe he will get the breakthrough in Toronto that he never got here. Baseball can be funny like that.

I said back in June 2016 that I believed Refsnyder was “going places now more than ever” and although it won’t be in a Yankee uniform I was still right. The Yankees organization is just too deep for him and now he gets a new opportunity. I wish him luck.

I hope that his great attitude and new motivation will bring him a lot of success in Toronto…..just not too much luck if we ever play against him.

–Jeana Bellezza