TAMPA — Last spring, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was admittedly on “Cloud 9” after being traded to his favorite team, the Yankees.
Then the inevitable ups and downs of the season began, and Kiner-Falefa fully rode the roller coaster of emotions, perhaps to a fault. The Yankees shortstop was especially hard on himself, whether or not he had reason to be, and at times it appeared to affect his play. That came to a head in the ALDS, when manager Aaron Boone thought Kiner-Falefa was pressing on defense and benched him for the final two games of the series.
So more than any other area this offseason, Kiner-Falefa focused on his mental preparation.
“Just getting ready for anything that this year throws at me,” said Kiner-Falefa, who will be one of the Yankees starting Saturday in the Grapefruit League opener. “[Last year], things happened and things sped up on me. So this year, no matter what happens, I’m just going to be myself and just stay the course, knowing it’s not going to be a smooth road. It’s going to be a bumpy road, especially when you’re going to get to the playoffs and be a good team.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hits in the batting cage during practice at Steinbrenner Field during spring training for the Yankees.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Oswald Peraza (left) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa talk in the dugout during spring training.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post “Just understanding things aren’t always going to go my way, but I gotta be ready to bounce back and be ready to help the team.”
That mindset could be especially useful this spring and into the regular season as Kiner-Falefa enters a battle with Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe for the starting shortstop job.
Ever since Kiner-Falefa was acquired from the Twins at the beginning of spring training last year, he has been tabbed as merely a stopgap until the Yankees’ two promising shortstop prospects were ready. While Peraza began to push through at the end of last season, including a pair of starts in the ALCS, and Volpe may have the highest ceiling of the three, Kiner-Falefa plans on putting up a fight in the competition.
“Those guys are great prospects,” he said. “They’re great players. They’re going to help this team. If they’re ready to help this team now, they’re ready to help this team now and I’m willing to help them. The biggest thing for me is just do what I do.
“I just want to be here and I want to help the team. If that means one of those other guys being there, I’m all for it, but I’m not going to sulk about it. I’m just going to be ready and do everything I can to help the team win.”
Isiah Kiner-Falefa was benched for the final two games of last year’s ALDS.Getty ImagesThe Yankees liked Kiner-Falefa’s confidence when they brought him on last year, but he admitted that he lost some of it throughout the course of the season, which sometimes showed in his play.
Kiner-Falefa provided about what the Yankees expected offensively — hitting .261 with a .642 OPS, 22 steals and a .327 average with runners in scoring position — but his defense left a lot to be desired. While some advanced metrics — and Boone — graded his defense favorably, others were less kind.
“I’m a lot better player than I showed last year,” he said. “I think last year I doubted myself a little bit. I second-guessed myself on certain things. One of the big things was routine plays. Before, I had nothing to lose. In Texas, I felt like whatever. Last year playing on my favorite team, especially in New York, it sped up on me a little bit. So this year I’m more prepared and willing to learn. I’m willing to get better. Whatever happens, I’ll be ready for it this year.”
Boone, who has consistently defended Kiner-Falefa, thought the shortstop “always” bounced back from tough moments last year.
“But hopefully now playing here and going through it for a year,” Boone said, “you can kind of exhale a little bit in the offseason, take stock and hopefully he’ll be better for the experience.”
