Rob Refsnyder

At 33 years old, Rob Refsnyder has this physical status:

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Daniel Refsnyder (5 months old) and adopted by a couple from Southern California when he was five months old.

He played three sports at Laguna Hills High School and attended the University of Arizona, where he spent college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats as the right fielder.

Refsnyder was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player) after winning the 2012 College World Series (CWS) with the Arizona Wildcats baseball team. In the fifth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, the Yankees selected Refsnyder.

He was converted from a right fielder to a second baseman, making him one of the top prospects for the club.

He made his MLB debut in 2015 but didn't become a regular for the Yankees.

In 2017, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians off waivers during the offseason and then moved to the Tampa Bay Rays before the 2018 season.

Early life

Kim Jung-tae was born in Seoul, South Korea, and Refsnyder was the first insnyder. When he was five months old, he was adopted by Jane and Clint Refsnyder, a couple of German and Irish descent from Laguna Hills, California, through Holt International Children's Services. Elizabeth, a child from South Korea, had been adopted three years before the Refsnyders adopted Rob.

Clint, a former Muhlenberg College basketball player, never let his son win at anything, never expected him to do what he wanted to do. Rob did not beat Clint in a pick-up game of basketball until he was 17. Refsnyder, a fan of Major League Baseball (MLB), is a fan of Vladimir Guerrero. He and his dad attended the Los Angeles Lakers' annual Christmas Day games.

Personal life

When Refsnyder and Monica (née Drake) were both students at the University of Arizona in 2012, they became best friends. She is an All-American swimmer who competed in the 2008 and 2012 United States Olympic trials, aiming to qualify for the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. In December 2015, the two were married. Johnny Field, a Wildcats teammate, was a groomsman. Their son was born in 2021.

Refsnyder is in favour of adoption and hopes to adopt in the future. He aided in the creation of a T-shirt for A Kid's Place, an organization that supports foster children in the Tampa Bay area. He also wants to visit South Korea with his sister in order to learn about Korea's history and the Korean language.

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Amateur career

Refsnyder played baseball, basketball, and American football at Laguna Hills, California, and he was an honorary student at the Laguna Hills High School. In his junior year, he served as both a wide receiver and outside linebacker for the football team, as well as quarterback in his senior year. He was named his Division's Offensive Player of the Year for the football team and co-most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League for the baseball team in his senior season. Refsnyder was recruited by colleges in the Pacific-10 Conference to play quarterback for their football teams.

Refsnyder played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team in the Pacific-10 Conference while enrolling at the University of Arizona. Refsnyder batted.344 with two home runs in 57 games in his rookie year. He was a recipient of the All-Pacific-10 Honorable Mention award. Refsnyder, a sophomore, appeared in all 60 Wildcats games and batted.320 with six home runs. Refsnyder was the first team pick for the All-Pacific 10 Conference teams. Refsnyder played collegiate summer baseball for the Cape Cod Baseball League's Wareham Gatemen.

Refsnyder batted.364 on the 2012 Wildcats season, leading the Wildcats with eight home runs and 66 stolen bases. Refsnyder hit a home run in his first game of the 2012 College World Series (CWS). In the 2012 CWS and the Wildcats' victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, Refsnyder batted 10-for-21 (4.76). He has been named the CWS Most Valuable Player of the Year.

Professional career

In the 2012 MLB draft, the New York Yankees selected Refsnyder in the fifth round, the 187th overall pick in the league. Despite being a right fielder for Arizona, the Yankees characterized Refsnyder as a second baseman. On July 6, Refsnyder signed with the Yankees, receiving a $205,900 signing bonus. He joined the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he made his professional debut on July 10. He batted.241 for Charleston.

Refsnyder was sent by the Yankees to Charleston to begin the 2013 season. Refsnyder was promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League on April 19, with a.370 batting average and a.452 on-base percentage (OBP) in 13 games. In 117 games for Tampa, he batted.283 with a.404 slugging percentage and a.404 slugging percentage, with six home runs and 51 RBIs.

The Trenton Thunder of the Class AA Eastern League began the 2014 season. Refsnyder made changes to his swing that reduced unnecessary movement, resulting in an increase in his power output with the help of Marcus Thames, the Thunder's hitting coach. For the week of May 26 – June 1, he received the Eastern League Player of the Week Award. The Yankees promoted Refsnyder to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders of the Class AAA International League on June 10, after batting.32% in 60 games for Trenton, including a.430 average in his last 28 games, as well as improving his defense at second base.

Refsnyder's progress was described as "pretty impressive" after batting.371 with three home runs in his first 19 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who said "he's compelled us to pay attention." To ensure for a potential promotion to the major leagues, Cashman Refsnyder played in the outfield. In 77 games for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Refsnyder finished the season with a.300 average, eight home runs, and 33 RBIs.

Refsnyder was given the opportunity to compete for a spot in the major leagues in 2015, but the Yankees drafted him to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin the season so he could continue to work on his defense.

The Yankees promoted Refsnyder to the major leagues after he batted.290 with seven home runs, 17 doubles, and 37 RBIs in 81 games for the RailRiders. Following Hee-seop Choi, Shin-Soo Choo, and Jung-ho Kang, Refsnyder became the fourth position player in MLB history to be born in South Korea. He made his big league debut on the day and on July 12, he had his first two hits, one of which was a two-run home run, on the 12th. The Yankees optioned Refsnyder to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to activate Carlos Beltrán from the disabled list after playing four games, where he batted 2-for-13 (.167). In the second half of the RailRiders' season, he batted.225.

Refsnyder was sent by the Yankees to New York on September 1, 2015, as part of their September call-ups. Refsnyder played infrequently, with the Yankees initially using José Pirela until late September, when he started receiving more regular playing time. He finished the regular season with a.302 average and two home runs, and the Yankees opened their season with a.302 average and two home runs, as well as the 2015 American League Wild Card Game, which they lost.

The Yankees began playing Refsnyder as a third baseman in spring training in 2016. For Opening Day, he was competing with Ronald Torreyes in a utility infielder role with the Yankees. On March 27, the Yankees selected Toryes and optioned Refsnyder to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Before the Yankees promoted him to the major leagues on May 17, he spent third base, second base, and right field with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees took on Refsnyder at first base following Mark Teixeira's injury. Dustin Ackley, first baseman Mark Teixeira, and Dustin Ackley. In 122 at bats, he batted.262 before being offered back to the RailRiders on August 11. He was called up to the major leagues as a September call-up. Refsnynder's average was.250 in 58 major league games, while the RailRiders' batting average was.316 in 54 games.

The Yankees optioned Refsnyder to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the 2017 season after playing for a part on the Yankees' Opening Day roster. Pete Kozma, who could play shortstop, was selected by the Yankees over Refsnyder. Refsnyder was assigned to assignment when the Yankees acquired David Robertson, Todd Frazier, and Tommy Kahnle on July 19, so they could make room on their 40-man roster. Refsnyder had a.135 batting average in 37 at bats for the Yankees and a.312 batting average in 38 games for the RailRiders as of July 19.

Ryan McBroom was traded by the Yankees from Refsnyder to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 23, 2017. Refsnyder was sent by the Blue Jays to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League. Since being on the disabled list for four games with Buffalo, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has been drafted into the major leagues on July 29 to add infield depth behind Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney. Refsnyder made his Blue Jays debut later that day, pinching in the ninth inning of a 6–5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Refsnyder got his first baseman's injury while playing with Toronto as a second baseman. In 32 games for Toronto, Refsnyder batted.196.

On November 20, 2017, the Cleveland Indians claimed Refsnyder from the Blue Jays off waivers. He was fighting for a spot on Cleveland's 2018 Opening Day roster, but he batted.191 during spring training. The Indians selected Brandon Guyer over Refsnyder in the initial order of their Opening Day roster, and traded Refsnyder to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations on March 27, 2018.

Refsnyder was on the team's opening day roster, and he batted ninth in the batting order as the designated hitter on Opening Day. Refsnyder batted.167 in 40 games before the Rays scheduled him for assignment on June 19, mainly because he was playing against left-handed pitchers. Refsnyder cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Durham Bulls of the International League. In 51 games for Durham, Refsnyder batted.283. Durham won the International League championship, and Refsnyder was named the most valuable player of the season by the league's best player, with two home runs and six RBIs.

Refsnyder signed a minor-league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2019 season on November 20, 2018, earning a non-roster invitation to spring training. To begin the 2019 season, the Diamondbacks drafted him to the Reno Aces of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. He was going 0-for-4 in Reno's one game, with just one strikeout.

Refsnyder was traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a player who would be named later or cash considerations. He was drafted by the Reds to the Louisville Bats of the International League, according to him. In 85 games for the Bats, Refsnyder batted.315 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. In August, the Reds recalled him from the company.

On December 5, 2019, Refsnyder signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers for the 2020 season. In 2020, he made the Rangers' Opening Day roster, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Refsnyder was promised for assignment on August 24 after striking.265/.233 without a home run in 34 plate appearances for the Rangers. He wanted to be a free agent.

On December 17, 2020, the Minnesota Twins signed Refsnyder to a minor league deal with a non-roster invitation to spring training. He joined the St. Paul Saints in 2021 to begin. The Twins named Refsnyder to the active roster on May 15. Despite not having never played center field in the major leagues before, with center fielders Byron Buxton and Jake Cave injured, the Twins' Refsnyder to Max Kepler as the backup center fielder.

When Kepler was on the injured list, he said he had no choice but to "ride Refsnyder" in center field. He batted.320 in 16 games before going on the seven-day injured list because of concussion symptoms that began after running into the wall at Camden Yards while chasing a home run at the game of June 2. Refsnyder strained his left hamstring while running out a double, and he went back to the injured list in his first game back. Refsnyder finished the 2021 season with a.245 batting average, two home runs, 12 RBIs, and one stolen base in 51 games. On November 5, 2021, the Twins beat him off the 40-man roster, and he elected a free agency two days later.

On November 30, 2021, Refsnyder signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. Refsnyder was welcomed to spring training by the Red Sox, where he competed with Travis Shaw, Franchy Cordero, Christin Stewart, Jonathan Araz, and Yolmer Sánchez for one of two open spots on Boston's Opening Day roster. With the Worcester Red Sox of the International League, Refsnyder began the 2022 season. After beginning the season on a 14-for-35 (.400) for Worcester, he was drafted to Boston's active roster on April 19 after Araz was listed on the COVID-related list and made his Boston debut on April 23 as the team's designated hitter. In three games before returning to Worcester on April 29, Refsnyder batted 2-for-5 with two doubles and one RBI.

The Red Sox drafted Refsnyder's deal on June 10, bringing him to the 40-man roster and promoting him to the major leagues. He was a fourth outfielder before being classified on the injured list with a right knee sprain on August 2. On August 16, he rejoined the team. Refsnyder was on the injured list due to back spasms on October 3, his season came to an end with a.307 average, a.384 OBP, and six home runs in 177 plate appearances in 57 games played.

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