Watch Yankees prospect Greg Bird mash monster homer in AFL Fall Stars game (Video)
You say you miss baseball already? That doesn’t have to be the case. MLB.com and MLB Network are here to help ease us out of the baseball-centric routines we’ve developed over the past seven months by airing select games from the Arizona Fall League, which is basically a showcase for many of the game’s top prospects.
It’s the perfect appetizer if you’re not quite ready to let go, and it also gives us a fun glimpse into baseball’s future.
Speaking of which, the annual AFL Fall Stars game took place on Saturday night at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. And we don’t mind telling you it featured one of the most impressive home runs we’ve seen hit all season. It came off the bat of New York Yankees first-base prospect Greg Bird, and it was an absolute bomb to the third level of cacti decor that serves as the hitter’s background.
Berthiaume calls games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who share Salt River Fields with the Colorado Rockies during spring training. He’s seen his share of games and Paul Goldschimdt batting practice sessions there over the past four seasons, so he knows of what he speaks. It was, by all accounts, at least 440 feet. And possibly in upwards of 450 feet.
It was absolutely punished, that much no one can argue. And though it was Bird’s only hit in the AFL East’s 6-2 win over the West all-stars, it was good enough to net him the Star of the Game award.
Bird, 21, hit .271 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 102 games between High-A and Double-A this season. He’s still at least two years from pushing for a big league spot, maybe a little longer as he works out some kinks. But his pure power is a nice foundation to build off of, and the display shown here would play very well in Yankee Stadium.
BLS H/N: Cut 4
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
