BRIDGEWATER – A easy look at the wide range of Yankees high prospect rankings on-line will yield no outcomes for Ben Shields’ title.
That will quickly change.
The 25-year-old left-handed beginning pitcher was dominant in his Double-A debut for the Somerset Patriots in entrance of a sellout crowd of seven,106 followers at TD Financial institution Ballpark on Wednesday evening, spinning 5 and a 3rd scoreless innings in a dramatic 5-4 win over the Studying Fightin’ Phils within the final recreation of an abbreviated homestand.
Not unhealthy for a man who’s lower than 12 months faraway from signing with the Yankees as a largely unheralded undrafted free agent out of George Mason College.
“I felt fairly good from the beginning,” Shields stated. “There have been loads of followers, so you may settle in and do your factor. Arising from (Excessive-A) Hudson Valley, I had a fantastic expertise there. I put in loads of laborious work … with loads of followers right here, it’s straightforward to rise up. You’re going to have loads of vitality and also you’re going to maintain it and thank the followers for supporting us.”
Shields allowed simply two hits and two walks whereas placing out 5 Fightin’ Phils batters on Wednesday, utilizing a fastball that sat within the low 90s with a mixture of sliders and curveballs to maintain the opposition off-balance all through the evening. He’d flown largely underneath the radar since signing with the Yankees final July after a comparatively non-descript collegiate profession at each UMass and George Mason, and it stayed that approach when he opened up the 12 months in Hudson Valley as a reliever.
Extra:Yankees’ Spencer Jones catches hearth after sluggish begin at Double-A, chosen to Futures Recreation
However the Boston native acquired a crack on the beginning rotation with the Renegades in mid-Could and had excelled ever since, profitable South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month honors for a June wherein he went 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 26 ⅔ innings of labor, incomes a promotion to Somerset for his debut begin.
With what a whirlwind the final 12 months or so has been, you’ll should excuse him if he hasn’t had a lot time to mirror on the journey.
“Simply type of taking it day-by-day and outing-by-outing and making an attempt to be the very best model of myself every time,” Shields stated. “Make the changes I have to and transfer ahead. However wash away (the Patriots debut) and transfer ahead. Completely different staff, so provide you with a special plan with whoever’s again there and simply attempt to execute it.”