Jake Sanford is earning a bad name for New York Yankees and his team is not going to tolerate that. Sanford, a former third-round choice of the New York Yankees, has been released after it was discovered that he was stealing equipment from his teammates to sell. He was released last Thursday.
Sanford, reportedly, "hounded" his teammates for equipment to sell online, according to NJ.com, and would sometimes even just take bats and gloves from their lockers. Those weren't the only accusations levied against Sanford. He is also accused of defrauding fans. According to NJ.com, the outfielder promised to sell autographed gear online but never received it.
Shame for the Game
According to a source, Sanford, 24, was released last Thursday after a team investigation discovered that he had stolen from teammates, including equipment, which he then attempted to sell online, as NJ Advance Media first reported.
According to another source, Sanford, who played college baseball at Western Kentucky, allegedly took money from potential buyers for the equipment before failing to deliver the goods.
According to his Minor League Baseball page, the 24-year-old power-hitting right fielder had been playing for the Yankees single-A developmental teams before being cut last week, following an investigation by the franchise. He is now signed with the independent Frontier League's Ottawa Titans.
During his stint in the Yankees' system, Sanford was fairly productive. While playing for New York's Single-A affiliates, he hit.267/.332/.446 with 23 home runs. His off-the-field behavior was what got him kicked out of the company.
The allegations against Sanford may have shocked many but not those who have been duped by him over the years.
End of the Road
It is not known what compelled Sanford to take this route of duping people to make easy money. According to the New York Post, one source said that the issues could be related to gambling debts. Sanford's story is quite similar to that of Ruben Rivera.
Rivera, once considered a prized prospect, was released by the Yankees during spring training in 2002 after allegedly stealing and selling Derek Jeter's glove and bat. Rivera, Mariano Rivera's cousin, had just returned to the Yankees earlier that spring.
Sanford was drafted in 2019 and received a signing bonus of $597,500. However, was never regarded as an exceptional prospect, according to one AL scout, which made it simpler for the team to cut connections with him.
Following the announcement of his release by the Yankees, fans who believe they were duped by Sanford soon took to social media to express their complaints. Sanford's also deactivated his Twitter accounts after his release last week.
However, his Instagram account is still active. He since joined the Ottawa Titans in the Frontier League, an independent team.
Sanford was managed by John Pawlowski at Western Kentucky. Pawlowski also managed Brett Gardner at the College of Charleston. Sanford's skill set was compared to that of Gardner, who, like Sanford, was drafted in the third round by the Yankees in 2005.
