Yankees Middle Infielders Team Up In AFL

October brought finality to Gary Denbo’s tenure as Yankees farm director when he left to join Derek Jeter and the Marlins in the same position with scouting duties added to his new job description.

In the same month, the Yankees made a surprising run to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, where their season ended with a 4-0 loss to the Astros.

Meanwhile, the jewels of the minor league system flourished in the early days of the Arizona Fall League.

“We have gotten positive feedback,” general manager Brian Cashman said of the AFL contingent.

In 21-year-old Thairo Estrada and 23-year-old Kyle Holder, the Yankees have players who signed as shortstops but have the versatility to play other infield positions.

Estrada, who signed out of Venezuela in 2012, played shortstop in the early part of the AFL season. At Double-A Trenton this season he hit .301/.353/.392 with six home runs in 122 games. He spent some time at second base because he was, at various points, teammates with both Gleyber Torres and Jorge Mateo.

Holder, a 2015 first-round pick from San Diego, hit .271/.317/.350 in 104 games at high Class A Tampa, where he also made starts at second base and third base.