He has yet to play in a single game this season, but he is such an interesting case that I feel like I have to mention him. Cito Culver was our #1 pick in the 2010 draft. A Derek Jeter idolizing shortstop out of Rochester, New York, Culver has a chance to replace his idol. He’s very, very far off, even more so than catching phenom Gary Sanchez, and while he may not have been considered a potential 1st round pick by most scouts, the Yankees saw a mental toughness and incredible passion in this kid that made them say “Screw what everyone else says, we want that kid, he’s going to do great things for us.”
He’s endured some horrific things in his life, things I can’t even imagine going through, but he’s persevered and is on his way to achieving his dream of playing for the New York Yankees. According to MLB.com, his father, Christopher Culver, Sr. is in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree burglary and third-degree arson, related to burning down Culver's home in 2008.
I have no statistical information for this season, so I’ll give his 2010 numbers. Please note it was his rookie season and the sample size is very small and therefore inaccurate. He spent a very short amount of time in low A, hitting only .186, but the larger chunk of his season was spent in the Rk league, where he hit .269 with 2 home runs, 1 triple, and 7 doubles, and he accrued an OPS of .683.
Those numbers may not sound like this kid’s going to rock the world, but for reference here are Jeter’s minor league Rk league stats: .202 BA, 3 home runs, 10 doubles, 0 triples, and an OPS of .609. Culver’s numbers are actually better than Jeter’s were. I’m not going to say he’s going to be as good or better than Derek, that’d be ridiculous, the kid’s 18 and Jeter’s one of the best offensive shortstops of all time. But it’s just to show that his first year stats shouldn’t be thought of as any sort of indicator that he’ll be a flop. He’s got a ton of drive and cannot be phased by any distractions. Some say when Jeter finally retires or gives up the shortstop roll with the Yankees, it’ll be Nuñez, some say the Yankees will need to sign Hanley Ramirez or someone, but one day real soon, I’m pulling for Cito to take his spot.
--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer
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