Calling On Caleb

By Andrew Hefner

November 17, 2024

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As each day goes by the likelihood of homegrown second basemen Gleyber Torres returning to the Yankees seems to continue to diminish. The former Rookie of the Year finalist and two-time all-star began his Major League career in New York and since then hasn’t donned a jersey other than the pinstripes. With his contract expiring a few weeks ago and the Yankees' refusal to send even a qualifying offer it would seem that “Gleyber Days” are over in the Bronx. Recently, star prospect Caleb Durbin has emerged as a favorite to take Torres’ spot on the roster and become the new 2nd baseman. Many still are unaware of where he came from or what he is capable of so let’s look at the case for Caleb Durbin. 

Where He Came From

Caleb Durbin is a 24-year-old middle infielder who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB amateur draft. Durbin played college ball at Washington University in St. Louis where he slashed to an impressive .386 average over three seasons and 93 games played. He also put up an OPS of 1.085 and tallied 39 stolen bags. 

Following the draft he signed with the Braves and played Rookie Ball for the FCL Braves to round out the 2021 season. In 2022 Caleb was invited to spring training but only stepped up to the plate once. That season he was assigned to the Low-A Augusta Greenjackets but was called up to the High-A Rome Braves just a few months later. Durbin would finish his season in High-A but that winter Yankees relief pitcher Lucas Luetge was traded to the Braves in exchange for Caleb Durbin and RP Indigo Diaz (who currently is pitching in High-A Hudson Valley in the Yankees organization). 

Caleb would again be invited to Yankees spring training in 2023. He would get a highly limited 5 at-bats before being optioned to the Double-A Somerset Patriots for the 2023 season. He would have many injuries in a turbulent season in Somerset, heading to the IL three times and eventually having to play some games back down in High-A. Despite injuries, he would still bat over .300 that season and be sent to the Arizona Fall League to represent the New York Yankees on the Mesa Solar Sox.  

With the Solar Sox, Durbin would tear up the AFL, hitting .353 with 12 Home Runs and an OPS of 1.045 in 23 games. He would of course be selected as a Fall League all-star.

In 2024 Durbin received his first real invitation to Spring Training in Tampa and would play in 15 games and keep his consistent batting going with an AVG of .313. He would also play in the inaugural MLB Spring Breakout game for the Yankees which was a team made up of the top prospects in the organization. Following Spring Training, for the first time in his career, the Yanks would send him to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre.

Caleb put up an excellent showing with the Rail Riders but was sidelined for 2 months after being hit in the hand early on in the season. He had a below-average season in accordance with his prior metrics but still would bat .280 plus while swiping 31 bases in 90 games played. Once again the Yankees were impressed and currently Durbin is now back in Arizona with the Salt River Rafters. 

The highlight of the AFL this year for Durbin was undoubtedly the breaking of the single-season stolen base record. With 29 SB in just 24 Games(!) he went on an absolute tear. Sporting an OPS of .976 as well as walking 17 times just goes to show how much of an all-around athlete he is. He was again selected as an all-star as well. This Fall League season has been the final message to say that he is deserving of that Major League spot. 

Accolades 

All of his incredible stats have come with a flood of impressive accolades and awards as well. During his time in college, he was the D3Baseball.com Central Rookie of the Year, the University Athletic Association (UAA) Rookie of the Year, and selected to the UAA First Team all in just his freshman year. He would later be All-UAA in his second year and be on the World Series All-Tournament team in his final year. In 2023 he was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star with the Yankees and was named an AFL rising star with the Mesa Solar Sox in 2023 as well. As previously mentioned, he is also a 2 time AFL All-Star. 

What Does He Bring to the Table

Durbin has a lot of tools that the Yankees have been in desperate need of for years. Gleyber Torres got work done at 2B and never really shined in my book. He had an amazing freshman campaign but after that, he was just kind of… average. Durbin is not that. His speed is what will be most pivotal to the Yankees if he does get called up. The Yankees have had notoriously bad baserunning that has led to disaster after disaster, year after year. The Bombers have been looking for a speedy guy to take a full-time spot (in addition to Anthony Volpe) for years and have experimented with guys like Jamai Jones, Tim Locastro, and Harison Bader, just to name a few. It may be apparent, though, that none of these players are actually on the Yankees anymore as all of them were dropped and considered failures. With the addition of Jazz Chisolm there is potential for this Yankees team to be scary on the basepaths next year and Caleb Durbin would certainly add to it. Durbin is also an on-base machine, consistently batting over .300 and having record-high OBP throughout his career. His walk-to-strikeout rate is also insane as he averaged 2.4 walks per strikeout in the AFL.  Torres was formerly the leadoff hitter for the second half of the year yet finished his season with just a .257 average. With Aaron Judge always looming behind, the leadoff hitter needs to be more consistent than that and Durbin certainly would fulfill that spot well. Caleb is also an excellent utility guy and can play 3B, 2B, and SS, so if there ever was a situation where another spot needed to be filled, he could easily be transitioned over. He has shown nothing but plusses in my book and I believe that he would make an excellent addition. 

Evidence for the Impending Move 

There have been plenty of rumors flying around about the potential impending move since his outstanding AFL season this year. 

Earlier in the week while taking questions manager Aaron Boone remarked, “I think he's a stud, really competitive, kinda that hard-nosed, tough player. I'm excited about him, I think he's gonna play a big role for us this upcoming season."

Brian Cashman also mentioned Durbin as a potential candidate to fill the hole at second base. 

The Yankees are also not exactly shopping for second basemen at the moment. With Juan Soto’s deal looking to be upwards of 600 million dollars, a cheaper option would be preferable. Gleyber may be looking for more than Cashman is willing to pay. Durbin will be a much more economical (and possibly better) alternative to what is on the market right now. 

Durbin has seen nothing but support from the Yankees management, fans, and press so far so I believe that the move is imminent.

Final Thoughts

Caleb Durbin is someone that I enjoy watching play as I saw him a lot at the local Somerset Patriots games. He is a strong player who could fill many gaps on the Major League roster and has a unique set of skills that the Yanks need. He’s a team player, he understands what it means to be a Yankees, and he is always there for the fans. I think he is plenty deserving of a call-up and that it could ease many of the issues the Bombers will be facing this offseason.