Estevan Florial’s value won’t get any higher than it is right now.
The outfielder has suffered a steep decline since being the Yankees’ top prospect in 2019. He’s slowly worked his way up the minors, striking out too often while occasionally trying the big leagues, called up for a total of 16 games the past three years .
However, it has been a different story for the 24-year-old this year. Florial hit .308/.384/.521 with 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 41 runs scored and 26 stolen bases in 62 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
In the last week alone, including Monday at Worcester, Florial is hitting .480 (12-for-25) with five homers, eight RBIs, 11 runs and four doubles.
After Florial (and countless Major League Baseball prospects) lost a developmental season during the pandemic, the outfielder began the 2021 season in Double-A to resume his progress on the farm. It was clear New York wanted him to get reps playing every day, working on his high strikeout rate and offensive inconsistencies.
Well, the results are starting to show. The strikeouts are still there (80 in 62 games in 2022 after 121 in 87 contests a year ago), but this offensive production is what New York has dreamed of for years. Also, strikeouts are part of the game these days. If he’s playing quality defense, throwing sacks and hitting the ball out of bounds, you can’t ask for much more than that, right?
That’s why now is the time to act with Florial.
The Yankees have two options.
First, give Florial a shot in the big leagues. He earned a promotion and New York has a clear hole in the outfield right now with how poorly Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks have played.
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Florial, who turns 25 this offseason, isn’t getting any younger. Eventually, he will run out of options. What better time than now, while he’s swinging a hot bat, to give him some streaking and see if those strides carry over to the next level.
New York has shown no desire to give a player like Florial a chance in the Bronx this season. The same can be said for Miguel Andujar, who recently asked for a deal due to his inability to secure playing time with the big league club. Andújar was just as good in Triple-A and, unlike Florial, actually has experience in the Majors.
New York invested four prospects in acquiring Gallo last summer, and he’s a good defender who has elite discipline, so it makes sense for them to hang onto him to some degree. Overall, though, his numbers are grotesque. It’s hard to imagine him playing a role late or in the postseason.
The other option is to trade with Florial.
The trade deadline is less than a month away, and Florial’s progress in Triple-A could intrigue some teams who trade at the deadline. If the Yankees aren’t going to call him up at any point and he’s not part of their plans going forward, then the time to move him is now when he’s playing like this.
The organization has made it publicly known that they have a high opinion of Florial. Last spring, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the killer an “All-Star caliber talent,” a prospect who “has all the tools to be a special player.”
If that’s true, let’s see what it can do. Perhaps he can stick around and earn a spot on this team’s roster for the 2023 season and beyond. Otherwise, give him a chance somewhere else, flipping him for a proven commodity that can help this team contend for a championship in 2022.
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