SEATTLE – The Yankees’ clubhouse is full of big names, big stars and big money.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa fits in none of those categories, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a player more liked and respected by his teammates than the 28-year-old utility man.
“He’s so team-first,” Gerrit Cole said Wednesday. “Just loves being a Yankee. Loves this team. Literally will do anything for this team.”
Kiner-Falefa has done just that this season in a completely new role after losing the job he held the vast majority of last season — starting shortstop.
This year he’s played all three outfield positions — having never played the outfield before doing so this spring — as well as at third base and one game at short. Kiner-Falefa even pitched an inning.
All of which occurred because of the way Kiner-Falefa handled discovering very early in spring training the chances of him being the shortstop a second straight season was a slim and none proposition. The organization’s behind-the-scenes preference entering camp was for one of its top shortstop prospects, Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, to win the job, which Volpe ultimately did.
Kiner-Falefa never batted an eye, even mentoring the far younger Volpe and Peraza, as well as Oswaldo Cabrera, who was also in the competition.
“He told all of us, he told the coaches, he told everybody, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of this,’” Aaron Judge said before Wednesday night’s game against the Mariners. “If I have to be the fourth outfielder, if I have to be the leftfielder, play in center, first base, if you want me to catch again, I’ll do it. To hear that from a guy that’s been around the big leagues, won a Gold Glove in the infield [at third base in 2020 while with the Rangers], and hearing that from him, it just means a lot as a teammate. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. He checks his ego at the door every single day.”
Kiner-Falefa more or less was handed the shortstop job in 2022…
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