We’re two days away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training and the Yankees are making the final touches to their position player depth. The team announced they had claimed infielder Jordan Groshans off waivers from the Marlins, designating left-handed pitcher Matt Krook for assignment as the corresponding move to clear a space on the 40-man roster.
Groshans was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, selected by the Blue Jays out of Magnolia High School in Texas and inked to a $3.4 million signing bonus. He rose quickly through the system, posting a 167 wRC+ in 23 games at High-A in 2019, a 124 wRC+ in 75 games at Double-A in 2021, and a 123 wRC+ in 31 games for the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate in 2022. Unfortunately, injury stalled out each of those three seasons, with foot, back, and oblique ailments leading to a subpar start to his 2022 season that likely made him expendable in the eyes of the Blue Jays.
That perhaps explains why Toronto was willing to include him in the 2022 Trade Deadline deal with the Marlins for relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop as the team looked to shore up the bullpen in anticipation of a postseason run. At the time, Groshans was still the third-ranked prospect in the Blue Jays system and 80th overall in MLB according to MLB Pipeline, so it’s fair to wonder at the level of concern over the injuries. Groshans rebounded at Triple-A in the Marlins system, leading the team to hand him his debut on September 13, 2022. He batted .262/.308/.311 with one home run and a 77 wRC+ in his 17-game cup of coffee in 2022 before spending the entirety of 2023 in Triple-A, regressing to a 74 wRC+ in 125 games.
Groshans’ claim off waivers by the Yankees comes seven days after he was designated for assignment by the Marlins to make room for trade acquisition Jonah Bride. It’s a rather steep fall for one of the top infield prospects in baseball at the turn of the decade. At his peak prospect status in 2021, he was advertised as having the potential as a plus hitter with plus game power in MLB with an advanced approach at the plate and the ability to barrel the ball for line drives with backspin to all fields. Groshans was also seen as a capable defender at short whose size likely ticketed him to land at third.
Even though the top prospect sheen has worn off entirely, there are still aspects of Groshans’ profile that appear intriguing, namely the advanced plate discipline. The 24-year-old has never struck out more than 20 percent of the time at Triple-A or higher, and he’s carried a double-digit walk rate throughout his time in the minors. This is due to a combination of bat-to-ball skills and a good eye — among the 543 MLB hitters to swing at 100 pitches or more in 2022, Groshans placed in the 90th percentile in whiff rate (17.9 percent) and 75th percentile in chase rate (24.8 percent).
Unfortunately, the power that scouts raved over seems to have dried up, with Groshans managing just one barrel out of 48 batted balls in 2022 as well as a slugging percentage lower than his OBP between MLB and Triple-A since making his big-league debut. If nothing else, he should provide some competition during spring to the incumbent infield depth options, where it’s murky for the Yankees at third behind starter DJ LeMahieu. They seemed comfortable putting slick-fielding shortstop Oswald Peraza there in 2023, but he also had never manned the hot corner in his pro career until last year.
Krook meanwhile made it to the Yankees from the Rays via the 2020 Rule 5 Draft and spent much of his three years in the organization as a starter-turned-reliever at Triple-A. The lefty posted gaudy strikeout totals in those three years, leading the Yankees to hand him his MLB debut on June 16, 2023 in mop-up duty against the Red Sox. With the team already trailing, 5-1, in the third, Krook gave up a pair of singles and a grand slam. He would end the season having made four appearances, giving up eleven runs on eight hits and six walks in four innings (24.75 ERA).
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