LFHS Alum Named to 40-Man Roster – The Forest Scout

Current New York Yankees affiliate and LFHS graduate Caleb Durbin was named to the Yankees’ 40-man roster this MLB offseason after two impressive years in the Yankees’ minor league organization.

Durbin graduated from LFHS in 2018 before playing baseball for three years at Washington University. Following his college career, Durbin was drafted in the 14th round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves organization. During his first two years in the minor leagues, Durbin moved up to the professional baseball league, where he played rookie ball, Single-A and eventually High-A.

Before the 2023 season began, Durbin was traded to the Yankees organization. He spent most of the year in Double-A, playing for the Somerset Patriots, but ended the season in High-A due to a series of injuries. In other words,

Due to his quick success in the minor leagues, Durbin was invited to play in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) for the Mesa Solar Sox. After his first year in the Fall League, Durbin was named an AFL Rising Star (per milb.com).

While it was impressive how quickly Durbin rose up the leagues in just three years, his most exciting season was his most recent. The Yankees saw the success Durbin had in 2023 and decided to call him up to their Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders.

Just one step away from the Major Leagues, Durbin put up impressive numbers and notable milestones during the 2024 season. During his time with the Railriders, Durbin posted a BA of .275, an OPS of .839 and an OBP of .388.

While Durbin had a fantastic spring and summer seasons, he really stood out in the fall. After a great season in the AFL in 2023, Durbin continued to build on his success in 2024. This time, Durbin signed to play for the Salt River Rafters. In just 24 games with the Rafters, Durbin had a remarkable season.

Durbin posted a BA of .312, an OPS of .976 and an OBP of .427. Those stats alone made Durbin worth adding to the 40-man roster, but his long list of 2024 AFL accolades made the decision an easy one for the Yankees.

Durbin was named AFL Fall Star and also AFL Breakout Prospect of the Year. Additionally, Durbin really impressed by setting the AFL stolen bases record in a single season (29).

Due to his continued improvement and spectacular 2024 season, Durbin was named to the Yankees’ 40-man roster to protect him from being drafted in the Rule 5 Draft. While it was important that the Yankees continue to sign Durbin to prevent other teams from stealing their star, their decision could be more than just protection. It looks like Yankees management has every intention of having Durbin play in the majors next year.

“Honestly, I think he’s a stud. Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. “He really started to create some position flexibility last year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said milb.com). “He played some short ones, he played some third ones. We introduced him to an outfielder this year with the intent of this guy being a big league player… I think he’s going to play a big role for us this coming season.”