Vanderbilt's Mike Yastrzemski hitting .300 on season
If you normally don't follow Vanderbilt, you probably heard the name earlier on ESPN and thought just what I did.
I wonder if...
Vanderbilt sophomore right fielder Mike Yastrzemski, who is 1-for-5 with a run scored today against North Carolina, is the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. He is also one of nine players hitting .300 or better this season for Vanderbilt.
In 62 games, Yastrzemski has a .300 average with 57 runs, 64 hits and 42 RBIs. In their 11-1 opening win over Oregon State in the Super Regional, Yastrzemski finished with a home run and four RBIs.
Coming out of high school, Mike said he liked Vanderbilt's academics and its location. Commodores coach Tim Corbin liked his ability and admitted it was hard to ignore that last name.
"It would be easy to fall in love with a prospect named Yastrzemski," Corbin told Bill Kipouras of the Andover (Md.) Townsman. "We tried to look at him as if he was Mike Jones, not someone who was the grandson of an all-time great. I think he was a great fit, because Vandy is so well-recognized for academics, and that was a feature for him.
"Mike's a hard-nosed kid, very smart. He's a prospect, no question. We'll use him in all three outfield positions."
I admire Mike's decision to head down south, but it still has to be difficult when everyone find's out the family connection and you're judged based off what your grandpa did.