Yankees' Isiah Kiner-Falefa Is Exactly Where He Wants To Be
Less than a week ago, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was preparing to plunge into his fifth big-league season in Texas, eager to produce another quality campaign in a Rangers uniform.
Two days after the infielder was told he would be Texas' starting third baseman, however, Kiner-Falefa was traded not once, but twice in a two-day span, landing with the Yankees on Sunday night.
"I had a first day of school two days in a row," Kiner-Falefa said in front of his new locker at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday, cracking a smile. "Met new faces with Minnesota and then the very next day, I'm meeting new faces here."
Kiner-Falefa, along with third baseman Josh Donaldson and 24-year-old catcher Ben Rortvedt, were part of New York's blockbuster deal with the Twins, a five-player swap that sent catcher Gary Sánchez and infielder Gio Urshela to Minneapolis.
While the last few days have been a whirlwind for Kiner-Falefa, to say the least, the 26-year-old isn't complaining one bit. He's excited for his new opportunity, unpacking his bags for good with a chance to be an everyday shortstop.
"This is where I want to be," he said. "Everything worked out. In Minnesota for a day and I was lucky enough to be able to put this jersey on and this is where I want to be. Can't be happier."
Kiner-Falefa was on the Yankees' radar throughout this offseason, one of the many options for New York as the organization braced for Gleyber Torres' transition back to second base. This weekend's deal to acquire three position players from the Twins was emotional for the Yankees, but New York is also ecstatic with who they got in return, particularly with Kiner-Falefa.
"I really like his game," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday. "He's somebody that I have a lot of respect for just in his short career, seeing him transition to a Major League shortstop. We feel like we're getting a real premium defender and a guy that can provide really good offense, speed and the ability to steal a base down at the bottom of our order."
General manager Brian Cashman also singled out Kiner-Falefa's unwavering confidence in the aftermath of Sunday's surprising swap. The shortstop flexed it in a big way on Tuesday, recalling his experience playing catcher in the minor leagues in order to force his way onto the big-league club in Texas.
"I never had to practice when I first started. You know what I mean? They threw me in the fire," he said. "I don't think anyone has done that, ever. 40 to 60 games and then you're in the big leagues catching. I don't think people give me enough credit for that. But it is what it is. I'm here, I'm a shortstop so that shouldn't matter."
The former fourth-round pick won a Gold Glove during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, setting a new career high with 158 games played in 2021. On offense, he's posted a slash line of .273/.316/.361 over the last two seasons combined.
He may not hit the ball out of the ballpark too often (just 11 homers since 2019), but he has an elite ability to put the ball in play. Kiner-Falefa was in the league's 95th percentile in both Whiff% (14.5) and K% (13.3) a year ago.
When the Rangers elected to go big in free agency prior to the lockout—signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to monster deals—Kiner-Falefa understood that the writing was on the wall. It just so happens that he ended up with the team he grew up rooting for with an opportunity to blossom on the biggest stage.
"I'm a baseball freak," he said. "I love the history of this game. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson. Just to name a few. It's surreal for me to be able to look around and see that because every day I put this jersey on. I'm not there to get followers or anything, I'm here to win and to get a daily reminder of the history and what those guys did for this organization. This is where I want to be."
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