Communicated Content – In one of the strangest stories from the last few weeks, New York Yankees affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades, prospect Jake Sanford was cut from the team. The circumstances surrounding Sanford’s dismissal aren’t your usual reasons for a baseball player being let go.
Sanford was cut from the Hudson Valley Renegades after an investigation found he collected equipment from teammates and sold it online. According to an internal investigation, the prospect “pestered” his teammates until he was able to get equipment from the clubhouse to sell.
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Along with asking them for items, Sandford is claimed to have stolen equipment from the lockers of teammates. Making matters worse was Sanford ripping off fans. Sanford advertised the acquired baseball equipment online and when fans bought it, he failed to deliver the memorabilia.
The Yankees took control of the investigation of the incidents with Sanford. After multiple weeks of uncovering evidence against the player, they released him in May. Just days after being released by the Yankees organization and the Hudson Valley Renegades, Sanford was signed by the Frontier League baseball team, the Ottawa Titans.
Sanford was drafted in the third round by the New York Yankees in 2019 out of Western Kentucky. The outfielder played for the organization’s Low-A team, Staten Island, following the draft. He spent 2021 split between Single-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley. Sanford did not play in 2020 after the minor league campaign was canceled.
Sanford played just 161 games for the Yankees organization before being let go. He posted a .267 batting average with 23 home runs and 88 RBI. Sanford also stole seven bases in 12 attempts.
Interestingly, Sanford isn’t the first player from the Yankees organization to be released after being investigated for stealing equipment from teammates. In 2002, Yankees player Ruben Rivera, the cousin of legend Mariano Rivera, was placed on unconditional release waivers after it was alleged, that he had stolen Derek Jeter’s glove and bat.
Like Sanford, Rivera was not given a second chance after the incident. Instead of selling the items online in 2002, Rivera sold the equipment to a sports memorabilia dealer. According to an ESPN article following Rivera’s dismissal over 20 years ago, the player returned Jeter’s bat and glove, which only sold for $2,500. Despite returning the equipment to Jeter, the Yankees still released Rivera.
At the time, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens said items routinely went missing from his clubhouse locker throughout the season. Clemens never thought the missing equipment could be stolen by teammates.
Rivera went on to play for the San Francisco Giants and played Major League Baseball until 2006. He later moved to Mexico to play professional baseball. Sanford could experience a similar career trajectory after being released by the Yankees.
