Seigler promoted, lines single in first at-bat with new club

The Yankees’ 2018 top draft choice, Anthony Seigler, was promoted Tuesday from the Rookie Gulf Coast League Yankees West to the slightly higher, rookie-level Pulaski, Virginia Yankees of the Appalachian League.

Seigler, 19, starred at Cartersville High School and was selected in the first round this past June by the New York Yankees. The switch-hitting catcher started his professional career with a dozen games in the Gulf Coast League where he hit for a .333 batting average in 36 official at-bats. He contributed one home run and four RBI with a pair of doubles and six walks. During his time with the Tampa-based GCL Yankees West, Seigler missed some games with a minor hamstring injury but it did not impact his success.

In his debut with Pulaski Tuesday night, Seigler started and hit second in the order. He lined a single into centerfield in his first at-bat and finished the night 1-for-2 with two walks although his new Yankees’ club lost in ten innings to the Burlington Royals, 6-4.

The 10-team Appalachian League, which has been around since 1911, has teams located in Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Tennessee. The league includes players signed after the MLB’s annual amateur draft and ends in September.

Pulaski (17-23) is currently in fourth place in the Appalachian League’s East Division. The Yanks trail the division leading Princeton Rays by nine games. The Bluefield Blue Jays, Danville Braves, and Burlington Royals are also in Pulaski’s division.

Photos from @PulaskiYanks @MiLB Twitter feeds.