The Boston Red Sox Saturday, June 22, 2019 * the Boston Globe
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The Boston Red Sox Saturday, June 22, 2019 * The Boston Globe A familiar name made his own path to the big leagues Peter Abraham Mike — forget his last name for now — had a chance to sign for $300,000 after his junior year at Vanderbilt but turned down the Seattle Mariners because he promised his mother Anne-Marie back home in Andover that he would get his degree. He got that degree and was named first-team All-SEC and third-team All-American as a senior. The Orioles drafted him and this time he signed. Mike rose quickly in the organization, getting to Triple A in 2016. But he never could quite break through and was traded to the Giants at the end of spring training this season. Finally, after 703 minor league games, Mike was called up to the majors May 25 at the age of 28. That’s old for a rookie but not too old to achieve a lifelong dream. With his mother and wife watching from the stands at Oracle Park, Mike scored his first run that night and had three hits the next day. He has been in the lineup almost every day since and hit well. “At some point I just wanted to get there even for one day just to say I did it,” Mike said. “That was the goal, just one day. My wife was my biggest supporter. My mom was, too. This has been a big thing for my family.” It’s a heck of a story, one of persistence in the face of obstacles. Mike’s last name is Yastrzemski, by the way. He’s the grandson of Hall of Farmer Carl Yastrzemski. That makes a heck of a story even better. “It’s the only last name I’ve ever had. I’ve never felt any added pressure because of it,” Yastrzemski said. “My grandfather has always helped me out, but I’m not here because of my name.” That’s certainly true, otherwise his ascent to the majors would have happened long before this. Yastrzemski forced his way into the conversation by hitting .265 with an .801 OPS for Triple A Norfolk last season. That earned him an invitation to major league spring training with Baltimore. “I just played my game and stopped worrying about what I couldn’t control,” he said. “I had peace of mind.” Paige Yastrzemski, a former Vanderbilt lacrosse player, helped with that. She understood the ups and down of being an athlete. “My wife kept supporting me and pushing me,” Yastrzemski said. “She had a lot to do with it.” When the Orioles hired a new manager, coaching staff, and front office before this season, Yastrzemski hoped that would open the door for him. But it didn’t happen. “I saw how things were going halfway through spring training,” Yastrzemski said. “It didn’t look like it was going to work out.” The Orioles did Yastrzemski a favor and traded him March 23 for righthander Tyler Herb. An energized Yastrzemski had a 1.090 OPS in 40 games for Triple A Sacramento and earned a promotion. He went into the weekend hitting .264 with a .797 OPS, six extra-base hits — four of them home runs — and 11 RBIs in 23 games. With the Giants in rebuilding mode, the outfielder has fit right in. Yastrzemski made a game-saving catch last Saturday, a diving grab for the final out against the Brewers in a one-run game. He then hit two home runs in a series against the rival Dodgers. “It’s been fun to watch him,” said manager Bruce Bochy, who has used Yastrzemski in left field with a few starts in right. “He plays the game the right way.” The Giants are in last place in the National League West. But Yastrzemski is enjoying every minute. “It has been great, the day-in, day-out stuff,” he said. “The older guys have taught me how you handle your business. [Bochy] is a Hall of Famer and being around him has been incredible. “It’s a good group of people. We get a lot of support, too. Every game at home, it’s 30,000 fans.” Vanderbilt has had 13 players in the majors this season, a testament to the job coach Tim Corbin has done. Corbin, a New Hampshire native, has successfully recruited New England for years. That was how Yastrzemski, who played at St. John’s Prep in Danvers, got on his radar. “Vanderbilt was important for me because of the level of competition and who I was around on a daily basis,” said Yastrzemski, who settled in Nashville after he graduated. “I felt like I was prepared for pro ball.” Red Sox lefthander David Price, Vanderbilt’s most accomplished big leaguer, plays golf with Yastrzemski in the offseason. “I couldn’t be happier for him,” Price said. “He worked hard to get there.” The story could get even better. The Giants play three games at Fenway Park Sept. 17-19. Mike Yastrzemski could play left field in the same spot where his grandfather did and maybe even field a ball off the Green Monster and whirl around to throw the runner out at second. Even Red Sox fans would have to cheer that. “Playing at Fenway would just be awesome,” Yastrzemski said. “I get chills just thinking about it.” Yastrzemski has played at Fenway before. His mother has helped organize a tournament for high school prospects at the ballpark. Yastrzemski also played in a pre-draft showcase game there in 2009. The Red Sox selected him in the 36th round that season knowing he would attend college. Carl Yastrzemski, 79, has not watched his grandson play in person yet this season, following the Giants games from home on television. The elder Yaz has tended to stay close to his North Shore home in retirement. “We’re working on it,” Mike Yastrzemski said. “But he likes being in his comfort zone. Hopefully he’ll come to Fenway in September.” Grandson and grandfather do talk baseball on the phone, discussing his approach at the plate on certain pitches and how to adjust. “He’s always been there for me with advice,” said Mike Yastrzemski, whose father passed away in 2004. “I’d be foolish not to listen to him.” Mike Yastrzemski is wearing No. 5 with the Giants, turning down his grandfather’s No. 8. He did the same at Vanderbilt. He’s making his own way now. SUMMER SHOWCASE Are Red Sox lacking stars? How many of his own players will Alex Cora have at the All-Star Game? Not as many as you might think. Only J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts made it through the first round of voting into what MLB is calling the “Starters Election.” The online voting starts at noon Wednesday and runs through 4 p.m. Thursday. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers deserved better. But Bogaerts, who objectively is at least the second-best shortstop in the American League, finished fifth. Devers was fourth, somehow behind Gio Urshela of the Yankees and Hunter Dozier of the Royals. Dozier has not played in a game since May 30 because of injury and Urshela is a journeyman who isn’t remotely as good as Devers. Not sure who is to blame. The fan base obviously didn’t turn out at the polls. Perhaps the Sox needed a better campaign. Bogaerts has 241,000 followers on Instagram and never used that forum to appeal to fans. The player voting should correct some of the mistakes and deserving players usually seem to get on the roster as injury replacements. A few other observations on the Red Sox: Betts has fallen into a habit of jogging out routine groundballs to second base or shortstop. Plenty of players do that but plenty of others — Aaron Judge and Mike Trout among them — also run hard through the bag. The day is coming when a second baseman will bobble the ball and Betts will be out on a close play when he could have been safe. Shortstop Matthew Lugo, the team’s second pick in the draft, signed for $1.1 million, a healthy $170,200 over the slot value for that pick, which was 69th overall. Cora was thrilled for Lugo, who is from Puerto Rico. “You know what? Good for him,” Cora said. “That’s something people back home need to understand. He got that money because he had the opportunity to go to a four-year school [Miami]. “He did everything possible to get a scholarship and got it. He had some options. Most of the kids back home don’t have options. That’s something we’re trying to help, help them get a scholarship and be a good player. Now they can treat you just like an American kid. ‘OK, going to Miami? We’ll give you a little more.’ ” Cora, who played at Miami, said he was glad Lugo chose the Red Sox. Related: Alex Cora thrilled with Red Sox’ selection of Matthew Lugo The Red Sox caught a break when Oakland righthander Frankie Montas was suspended for 80 games for using a performance-enhancing drug. The Athletics are one of the teams in the hunt for a wild card and now they have lost their best starter until the final week of the season. Montas was 9-2 with a 2.70 earned run average in 15 starts. The Athletics operate with a small margin for error or injury and won’t easily be able to replace Montas, a former Red Sox prospect who was part of the three-team Jake Peavy deal in 2013.