There were no hard feelings, but Mitch Spence’s first desire was to remain a Yankee.
Spence, a right-handed starter who has steadily developed within the system and had a solid 2023 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, was announced in November by the organization as pitcher Clayton Beater and catcher Agustin. – Oversaw the addition of Ramirez and Carlos Narváez to the 40-man roster. .
Therefore, this promising trio could not be taken by another team in the Rule 5 draft. Spence was left defenseless.
“I knew I was going to be protected,” Spence said from the visiting clubhouse Monday before the Athletics beat the Yankees 2-0. “But clearly they [have] A decision had to be made and that’s exactly what happened. ”
Even if I was disappointed, I didn’t have to wait long to feel excited.
The Athletics took Spence with the top pick in the Dec. 6 draft, clearly intrigued by the workhorse who led all of the minor leagues in innings pitched (163) last season.
Spence had 153 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.47 in the International League, where he experimented with an automatic ball strike system that frustrated pitchers.
Spence, a 10th-round pick in 2019, left camp with the Athletics and debuted as a swingman out of the bullpen.
He has been solid in a difficult role to navigate (4.15 ERA), pitching three innings and just one inning per game.
He has relied on teammate Ross Stripling, who has experience in the field, to try to find the ideal workload between appearances.
The 25-year-old is living his dream, even if it looks a little distorted from a distance.
The Athletics are playing their home games in a nearly empty and completely dilapidated Coliseum as they prepare to move to Sacramento next season and then Las Vegas in a few years.
“It’s something that’s out of my control,” Spence said of the turmoil surrounding the team. “At the end of the day, we just go into the game and try to win baseball games, no matter what the noise is outside.”
The buzz will only get louder when Spence makes his Bronx debut this week.
Although Spence will never wear pinstripes, he remains in touch with friends within the organization, including pitching prospects Will Warren and Sean Boyle.
Spence said she circled the series not because she had revenge in mind. His wife’s family is from Long Island and they wanted to meet him.
“I think it’s great,” Spence said of pitching in the stadium. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to play here.”
Alex Verdugo (1-for-0, 2 walks) is the only Yankee to reach base more than once, hitting .349/.462/.558 with walks over his last 13 games.
“He’s been a really good player for us so far. A winning player,” Aaron Boone said before the loss. “He’s done a little bit of everything, whether it’s clutch hits or hits here and there. Obviously a big hit. [Sunday] With the big innings we had. He was outstanding as a left fielder and played really well in important situations. He was a money player for us. ”
Jose Trevino (1 hit for 3 at bats) extended his hitting streak to seven games.
DJ LeMahieu, who is scheduled to begin rehab at Double-A Somerset on Tuesday, grounded out and ran the bases at third and second base.
