05 May 2006

Pending Pinstripes Prospect of the Week: Justin Christian

I mentioned Justin Christian in my Trenton Thunder Team Report last week, but as I looked at him, it seemed like maybe he'd be a good candidate to revive the Prospect of the Week column, so here goes...

Justin Christian, OF
Born: 3 April 1980, San Mateo, CA
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 188
Bats/Throws: Right
College: Auburn University, Southeast Missouri State
Signed by Yankees as a minor league free agent in 2004.

He was a second-baseman in college in 2001 and hit only .259 with no power, then missed the entire 2002 season rehabbing a torn rotator cuff. He played for Southwest Missouri State in 2003, and made the All-American Team and was named New Comer of the year in the Ohio Valley Conference. He hit .376 with 13 homers and 48 RBI, slugging .665 and stealing 18 bases in 20 attempts. Without any offers from the pros, he went to the independent Frontier League in 2003 and 2004. The Yankees saw him hitting .450/.518/.700 at River City with 26 steals in 30 games and figured that he was worth a shot, so they signed him in June 2004.

Justin Christian wearing a linebacker's number in 2005 Spring Training with the Yankees

Read the rest at Pending Pinstripes...

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