Yankees Social Media: Spring Training, T-minus eight days

Feb 5, 2023 - 9:00 PM

We’re almost there, Yankees fans! Although the weather in the Northeast this weekend may make it hard to believe, in just eight days, spring training opens, as the players participating in the World Baseball Classic report a few days earlier than everyone else. How have the members of the organization been spending their last few winter days?

A pair of former Yankees team up in Japan

The Yankees don’t start until next week, but elsewhere in the world, baseball season has already begun. Fan favorite Masahiro Tanaka had his first day of spring training with the Rakuten Golden Eagles this past Tuesday.

Joining him was former Yankees top prospect Manny Bañuelos, who famously made his first appearance with the Bombers last spring a decade after being one of the organization’s top prospects. As Tanaka reminds everyone, the pair did intersect briefly in the Bronx — or rather, in Tampa, during spring training in 2014, back when Tanaka was in his first season (Bañuelos would be traded the following winter).

Best of luck to them in 2023!

Aaron Judge continues spending time on the farm

Back stateside, although players are not required to report to spring training until next week, the facilities have been open for some time now. Although prospects have been spotted most often, occasionally members of the major league roster have joined them — perhaps none more so than captain Aaron Judge, whose presence at the facility has primarily been noted by prospects sharing pictures on their social media accounts with the face of the organization.

This week, it’s Luis Serna, an 18-year-old pitcher in rookie ball, and Agustin Ramirez, a 21-year-old catcher who spent last season in rookie ball.

Yankees celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day

Normally, in this series, we tend to avoid the official social media account; most people already follow the team already, and our focus is on the players themselves. Every once in a while, however, there’s something that merits being highlighted.

February 1st was National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and the Yankees’ official Twitter account celebrated the occasion by highlighting the women that work for the organization.

Soon ...

The first true sign of spring is not the start of spring training itself, but rather, the day in which the team’s equipment staff sets out for Tampa to get everything ready. This past Friday, the equipment left the Bronx.