Inside Jake Sanford’s second baseball life after playing destroyed Yankees dream

Jake Sanford’s new teammates needed solutions.

Sanford had abruptly gone from rising Yankees prospect to the Frontier League final 12 months — and now got here was a bombshell story alleging he had stolen from his former minor league teammates.

“[Sanford] had requested me if he may discuss to his teammates and I stated, ‘yeah,’ he talked to them and guaranteed them that he was working by some issues personally off the sphere,” Ottawa Titans supervisor Bobby Brown advised The Put up in a latest interview, “they usually appeared to embrace him and needed to present him a second likelihood, similar to we did and sort of battled by that week as a gaggle.

“And we sort of weathered the storm, and Jake ended up having an amazing 12 months for us.”

Sanford, a third-round choose by the Yankees within the 2019 MLB Draft, was launched by the Yankees final Might within the wake of allegations that he stole from his teammates as a member of the franchise’s Excessive-A affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades, as first reported by NJ Advance Media.

In an intensive function published by Sportsnet in April, Sanford claimed he was not stealing from teammates. He revealed he suffered from crippling playing habit throughout his time with the Yankees, blowing by his total $597,500 signing bonus roughly a 12 months after finalizing his draft-day contract.

The 24-year-old outfielder, who hit a mixed 16 dwelling runs with a .823 OPS in Low-A and Excessive-A in 2021 earlier than his shocking launch, stated he’s motivated to make good on a second likelihood in baseball.

“Being on the sphere was the one time I bought to get away from every thing,” Sanford advised Sportsnet about his second foray into skilled baseball. “I might get textual content messages [about debts] on a regular basis after I was dwelling — I simply needed to close my cellphone off. However after I was on the sphere, I simply thought of baseball.”

Sanford stated he started to borrow cash from teammates with curiosity and was unable to pay them again. Finally, the Yankees launched him.

Simply days after his launch, the Canadian native bought a name to play for the Ottawa Titans, a membership within the 16-team impartial Frontier League.

Brown was confused why a gifted outfielder who had spectacular minor league numbers had been launched.

“I didn’t actually perceive why [he wasn’t getting offers], after which I requested Jake why he bought launched and he was fairly upfront with me on what was occurring with the Yankees,” Brown stated.

“We talked to our possession and relayed what Jake was telling us, they usually gave me the inexperienced gentle to go forward and provides him a possibility to come back to Ottawa.”

Sanford excelled for the Titans, hitting .311/.377/.550 with 22 dwelling runs over 91 video games in Ottawa, making an influence on the sphere and within the clubhouse.

Brown stated Sanford introduced a sort of expertise he normally didn’t see within the Frontier League.

“He was actually good in our league,” he stated. “He was actually bodily and powerful. If he hits the ball sq., it’s completely different than most minor league gamers. It’s simply, the ball actually jumps off.”

The lefty-swinging Sanford earned comparisons to Brett Gardner for his talent set of velocity and energy.

He was traded to the Sioux Metropolis Explorers of the impartial league American Affiliation for the 2023 season, the place he’s struggled over the primary half of the season to a .571 OPS and simply two homers.

Brown is assured the younger outfielder will rebound.

“That’s a superb league. It’s advanced-level pitching, and the identify of professional baseball is making changes,” Brown stated. “I do know that they bought a superb teaching employees in Sioux Metropolis and that he’ll ultimately make some changes.”

Brown advised Sportsnet in April he had been contacted by one MLB group about Sanford and supplied a glowing assessment, telling the group Sanford was a “mannequin citizen” and beloved by teammates.

For Sanford, who was a giant a part of Workforce Canada’s Pan American Video games qualifying bid in June, benefiting from his most up-to-date likelihood is all he can hope for if he desires one other shot with a significant league group.

Brown stated Sanford has to take one essential step earlier than he thinks about making it again to the majors.

“I believe step one is him making an adjustment to the American Affiliation pitching and placing up some numbers in that league, after which, I hope that someone does give him one other likelihood,” Brown stated.