New York Yankees’ prospect Caleb Durbin broke the Arizona Fall League single-season record for stolen bases with his 25th steal on November 11.
Durbin tied his single-game AFL record for the Salt River Rafters with four stolen bases in one game against the Peoria Javelinas at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Durbin wasted no time stealing second and third in the first after he was hit by a pitch. His steal of third gave him the AFL record of 25, which passed Philadelphia Phillies’ prospect outfielder Rick Holifield in 1994. Hollifield accomplished this feat when the AFL schedule consisted of 50 games instead of the 30 that are played now.
Dubrin, 24, was far from done and stole his third base of the game in the second after he was hit by another pitch. He got his fourth stolen base after a single in the sixth, which gave him 27 for the season.
Dubrin spoke to the media after the game on November 11 about breaking the record.
“I give much credit to our first-base coach, [Derek] Woodley, with the Yankees,” Durbin said. “He’s done a tremendous job just game planning for pitchers and that’s one of the reasons why I’m here is to keep refining my skills on the basepaths because that’s a big part of my game. I think it can be a big part of the game in general, so having that in my toolbelt and coming here and refining it and having those results to show for it, it’s huge for me.”
Durbin also mentioned that he aimed to break the AFL stolen base record after falling four short last season and that he would never turn down the opportunity to play more baseball.
The AFL All-Star Game in Sloan Park on November 9 was another positive showing for Durbin with a two-run double in the first and went 2-3 with two RBI. Durbin only has two games left in his AFL season and is finishing the season on fire with a 3-for-5 effort, with a home run, double, stolen base, four RBI, and a walk in a 13-10 win against Peoria Javelinas on November 12.
This is his second straight AFL season, largely because of a wrist injury that caused him two months of his 2024 MiLB season. Durbin still put together a strong season for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, with a career-high ten home runs and a .451 slugging percentage in 335 at-bats. He drove in 60 runs with a batting average of .275, an on-base percentage of .388, and an OPS of .839, also a career-best.
His speed is a strong part of his game, with 31 or more stolen bases in his last three minor league seasons. The Yankees made a brilliant trade with the Atlanta Braves before the 2022 regular season when they sent left-handed reliever Lucas Luetuge in exchange for Durbin.
At 5-foot-6, 180 pounds, Durbin has had to overcome a lot of stereotypes, but he’s passed every test with flying colors and does everything well on the baseball field. Durbin’s contact skills, plate discipline, and defense are other key components of his games. Last season, he walked more than he struck out with a 53-40 ratio, and throughout his MiLB career, he has walked 134 times and struck out 111. In today’s game, very few players can do this at any level.
His MiLB career numbers are 22 home runs, 153 RBI, 110 stolen bases, and a slash line of .269/.374/.407 in 1,026 at-bats.
His AFL stats this season are five home runs, 21 RBI, 28 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.006 in 88 at-bats.
Durbin has been on the Yankees’ radar for quite some time with the Spring Training non-roster invite last season. He is expected to be at Spring Training again once added to the 40-man roster by the November 19 deadline to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone spoke about Durbin before he broke the AFL stolen base record with reporters on November 11.
“I think he’s a stud, frankly,” Boone said. “Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. … Really competitive, a hard-nosed, tough player. I’m excited about him, and I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”
Durbin heard what Boone said and spoke to MLB reporter Jim Callis about it after the game on November 11.
“I had really good interactions with Boonie in Spring Training,” Durbin said. “So honestly, my time with him in the spring and in big league camp gave me a lot of confidence throughout the year. Having that kind of experience is something I’m still leaning on now.”
He will have a golden opportunity to win a job out of Spring Training with the Yankees at second or third base. Gleyber Torres is a free agent, and Jazz Chisholm could shift back to second base. Durbin is best suited for second base but has also played shortstop, third base, center field, and left field in the Yankees’ farm system.
His right-handed contact bat and base-stealing skills could be the exact change of pace the Yankees’ lineup needs. Durbin is a fundamentally sound, athletic, and smart base runner. He’s only been caught stealing .6% of the time in the AFL, going 49/52 in his two seasons. Durbin is 110 for 128 in stolen base attempts in his minor league career, which is a .85% success rate.
“I think a lot more of baserunning is more instincts than it really is speed. I think if you have enough speed, it helps, and I feel like I have enough speed,” Durbin said postgame to Jim Callis.
It’s also possible that Durbin could fill the role that DJ LeMahieu once served as the utility infielder that rotates around the diamond, with the expectation of first base. LeMahieu was also tough to strike out and relied on his contact skills to have a productive MLB career.
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