Yaz's grandson to make MLB debut with Giants
 

After more than six years in the minor leagues, Mike Yastrzemski -- the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski -- will make his major league debut Saturday after being called up for the first time.

Yastrzemski will start in left field for the San Francisco Giants and will bat seventh against the Arizona Diamondbacks.-espn

I got to watch him play a lot in the Orioles minor leagues and always thought he'd make a fine 4th outfielder. Nice guy too, glad to see his years of grinding pay off.

When I used to own a weekend home out in eastern Long Island, I would often drive through the town of Bridgehampton and down a bucolic street called Cook's Lane. There were turn of the century wooden homes lined up on one side, and a big cornfield on the other.

Yaz grew up in Bridgehampton, and was a baseball phenom there in the early fifties. And one of those homes on Cook's Lane had a sign nailed to a tree which read "Yazberry Farms." I never learned if that was Yaz's birthplace, a cousin's home, or just a tribute to a local hero. But I always made sure to catch it when I drove by.

Hope Mike makes it in the bigs as I am also a lifelong Giants fan.

Mike has had a great start to his mlb career. He’s been productive and the giants put him in the #2 slot. I got to see him in Baltimore Saturday. Very happy for him.
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Adam- how are you related?

Always hoped the O's would call him up and give him a chance. Had some decent minor league seasons.

Here is a photo I took of Mike back in 2013 right after he was drafted out of Vanderbilt with the Class A Aberdeen Ironbirds and the other is one I took of him last Sunday when the Giants were in Baltimore:

https://i.imgur.com/575kElc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Xc8A2aQ.jpg

Carl’s father and my grandfather are brothers.

Saw mike at Citi too. Great to have another Yastrzemski in the majors. I have to make room for Giants gear with my Sox stuff.
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I think that makes you first cousins once removed? I never get that right.:o

Mike is off to a sensational start, capped by a three home run game last night. He certainly has his grandfather's genes.

As a 28 Year old rookie whose minor league numbers don't back up his major league production (he's got more HR's in 70 games in the majors than he ever had in a full season in the minors) I have to be skeptical that he's the real deal, but it's been fun to follow.

I got to see him the last two years play against the Giants organization in Double A here in RVA. In regards to his HR numbers, I think he is one of those late bloomers that found the power swing ala' Jose Bautista. If he would have stayed the year in Sacramento he would have hit over 30 bombs. I believe he had 13-14 at the time of his call up without referencing Baseball Reference.

Just to throw cards into the mix- here is the Mike Yastrzemski rainbow.

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He's batting .282 with 17 HR's and 47 RBI's in an abbreviated season, and is slugging .560.

And tomorrow is his birthday.:)

Just sayin, guys who turn 29 in their rookie season rarely turn out to have much of a career. Bautista was a solid Major Leaguer at 25. The 29 year old power surge was weird and if it hadn't happened in the era of drug testing I'd have been incredibly suspicious.

Agreed. He is quite old for a rookie.

No doubt, I don’t think anyone really thinks he’s the next great player. But it’s a great story, and that’s one great thing about baseball, it lends itself to some great stories. Reminds me a bit of Daniel Nava, who was also a great story and also never going to be a superstar. But he put in a few good years, against the odds.


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I am a distant relative of Mike - I’ve never met him. But it is still exciting to have family playing in mlb and I have been following him since he was drafted. While I appreciate that the Orioles drafted him and worked with him to develop his game, my personal feeling is that the Orioles farm system is a pit of despair. The best thing that could have happened to Mike is that he was traded to the Giants. Mike spent 6 years with the Os - after less than 2 months with the Giants he was in the majors. If you look back at the Orioles top prospects, they are the same year after year. Ryan Mountcastle, Hunter Harvey, Austin Hays, DL Hall, Cody Sedlock, etc have been prospects for years. This is a team that is going nowhere and has nothing to lose. For some reason, they won’t give their kids a chance. Sometimes your prospects will surprise you if they get the opportunity and have a sense of hope.

I hope Mike can put together a few good years. He may be able to put together 10 years if he’s lucky. I’m happy for him being able to achieve his dream. Getting there late is better than never. Our family is proud of him and we love watching him play.

It's a great story, even as a Dodger fan I can appreciate it, just in all likelihood not an indicator of his future. There are exceptions to every rule, and I think it's cool that he kept going past the age where his father hung up his cleats (with strikingly similar minor league numbers I might add) and has been rewarded for his dedication.