Former Oakland A’s prospect Billy McKinney finds yet another home

There was a time when Billy McKinney was one of the top prospects in the game.

The 24th overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Oakland A’s, McKinney was part of several high profile trades. He had been sent to the Cubs as part of the package that brought Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to Oakland in 2014. Two years later, McKinney was sent to the Yankees as part of the deal that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs. He has bounced around since then, spending time with six different organizations, including a second stint with the A’s, from the 2018 trade deadline to the present.

Billy McKinney still looking to shed Quad-A label

Throughout it all, McKinney is still looking to prove that he can be a major league asset. That quest has led him to yet another organization, as he has signed with the Yankees for another stint.

While McKinney has been assigned to Triple-A, one has to imagine that he will get a look during the major league portion of spring training. Left field is wide open for the Yankees, with Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera, and potentially Willie Calhoun all getting looks at the position.

McKinney could get a chance as well. He has displayed solid power during his time in the majors, with 28 homers and 33 doubles over his 768 plate appearances. However, he has managed a meager .206/.277/.387 batting line in that time, striking out 201 times with 66 walks.

He has been a different player in Triple-A. McKinney has posted a .271/.348/.511 batting line with 42 homers and 48 doubles in his 992 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors, striking out 235 times with 96 walks. At 28 years old, there is still time for McKinney to shed his Quad-A label. It is just a matter of a team being able to unlock that talent.

Former Oakland A’s prospect Billy McKinney has found another team. This time, the New York Yankees are giving him another chance.