Mike Yastrzemski Feels No Pressure from his Famous Last Name

Mike Yastrzemski, an outfielder in the Baltimore Orioles farm system, gets immediate recognition every place he plays because his grandfather was legendary Boston Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski.  However, Mike says he doesn’t feel the added pressure brought on him by fans, as he makes his way through the minors.

Mike was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the 2009 MLB Draft, but chose to attend Vanderbilt University instead.  He was drafted again in 2012, but chose to return to Vandy for his senior year.  Then in the 2013 MLB Draft, he was selected in the 14th round by the Baltimore Orioles.

His father, Mike Yastrzemski, played three seasons at the Triple-A level in the Chicago White Sox organization in 1986-1988, but never advanced to the majors.

Grandfather Carl was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 after 23 major-league seasons in which he won the Triple Crown in 1967 and made 18 all-star appearances.

For more information about Mike Yastrzemski’s family relationships, follow the link below from the Hartford Courant:

http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/yard-goats/

 

Rogers Twins Meet Up in Arizona Fall League

Twin brothers Taylor and Tyler Rogers are roommates in the Arizona Fall League, but play on opposing teams in the prestigious league for up-and- coming major league prospects.

Taylor is a third-year professional in the Minnesota Twins organization, after being drafted in the 11th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Tyler is a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization, having been drafted in the 10th round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

See related story about the Rogers brothers at the link below from m.twins.mlb.com:
http://m.twins.mlb.com/news/article/101074586/rogers-twins-reconnect-in-arizona-fall-league

Ryan Garvey Is Following In His Father’s Footsteps

Ryan Garvey is finding himself playing for minor league teams his father played for as an aspiring prospect in the 1960s. His father was Steve Garvey, the 19-year major leaguer and ten-time all-star.

In his third professional season, 21-year-old Ryan was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 33rd round of the 2012 MLB Draft and is now playing in the Rockies’ organization in Class A. Ryan says its not enough to just have played in the minors. He has set his sights on getting to the big-leagues like his father.

See the related story about Ryan Garvey at the link below from swxrightnow.com:
http://www.swxrightnow.com/story/25979149/ryan-garvey-following-in-a-fathers-footsteps

Jesmuel Valentin Hopes to Play For His Father Someday

Jesmuel Valentin, an infield prospect in the Los Angeles Dodger organization, has set his sights on playing in the major leagues for his father Jose Valentin, who wants to be a major league manager. Jose is currently a coach for the San Diego Padres and previously played in the big leagues for 16 seasons.

Last season, Jesmuel played against his father who was managing the Fort Wayne TinCups in the Midwest League.

See related story about Jesmuel Valentin at the link below from mlive.com:
http://www.mlive.com/loons/index.ssf/2014/05/los_angeles_dodgers_prospect_l_6.html

Cecchini Comes From A Baseball Family

Gavin Cecchini is playing at Savannah in the New York Mets organization this season. A first-round draft pick in 2012, Gavin followed his brother Garin into professional baseball. Garin is a top prospect in the Red Sox organization. They were both coached in high school by their father, Glenn, at Barbe High School in Lake Charles, LA. Glenn is a well-known coach in that area, having won several Louisiana state championships and put several players into professional baseball.

See related story about Gavin Cecchini in at the link below from savannahnow.com:
http://savannahnow.com/sports/2014-04-18/nathan-dominitz-cecchini-has-name-game-baseball#.U1QxvTNOWP9

Lovullo Father and Son Relish World Series Title

Torey Lovullo, bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, was able to share his World Series experience with his son, Nick, who is currently playing baseball at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In between his classes, Nick managed to attend the 2013 World Series games in both Boston and St. Louis, moments he will always cherish. In past seasons, they were often separated by many miles, because Torey held baseball jobs across the country.

Nick has hopes of playing professional baseball himself. He was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 38th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but decided to pursue college.

See related story about Torey and Nick Lovullo at the below link from the Ventura County Star:
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/oct/30/father-and-son-enjoy-red-soxs-world-series/

This Gretzky Is Hitting Baseballs, Not Pucks

Trevor Gretzky, the son of National Hockey League Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, decided to pursue baseball rather than his father’s sport. Trevor was drafted out of high school by the Chicago Cubs in the seventh round of the 2012 MLB Draft. An injury prevented from starting his professional career last year, but now he is playing with the Boise Hawks in the Cubs organization.

In my book, Family Ties: A Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball’s Relatives, I have a chapter devoted to Major League players whose relatives played another professional sport.

See attached article about Trevor in The Vancouver Sun: http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/baseball/Hawks+Trevor+Gretzky+doing+numbers/8643157/story.html