As the Major League Baseball trade deadline quickly approaches, the Toronto Blue Jays announced the trade of New Hampshire Fisher Cats first baseman Ryan McBroom to the New York Yankees organization on Sunday.
Toronto traded McBroom for ulility man Rob Refsnyder, a 2012 fifth-round draft pick that struggled to find a place within the Yankees organization.
McBroom, selected to this year’s Eastern League All-Star Game, batted .243 in 96 games for the Fisher Cats this year, leading the team with 12 home runs.
The Blue Jays drafted the Fredricksburg, VA native in the 15th round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft. McBroom ended his collegiate career at West Virginia University by leading the Mountaineers in home runs, doubles and runs scored in 2013.
Refsynder, a South Korea native, bounced across the diamond in search of a regular position. In 2017 alone, he played at first base, second base, all three outfield positions and in three games as a DH, largely due to his reputation for poor fielding skills.
Once seen as a future offensive standout for the Bronx Bombers, Refsynder’s offense also faltered in 2017, getting just five hits in 40 plate appearances at the major league level for New York.
This season, he’s gone up and down from New York to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre twice, accumulating a .312 average during his 38 games in the minors this year.
McBroom did not appear in the lineup on Sunday against Trenton, New York’s Double-A affiliate. Refsnyder has been assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, with infielder Emilio Guerrero returning from the disabled list to take McBroom’s place on the Fisher Cats’ roster.
