Rob Refsnyder

Robert Daniel Refsnyder (born Kim Jung-tae; 김정태, March 26, 1991) is a Korean American professional baseball second baseman and right fielder for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, and Minnesota Twins.

Refsnyder was born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted by a couple from Southern California when he was five months old.

He became a three-sport star at Laguna Hills High School, and enrolled at the University of Arizona, where he played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats as their right fielder.

In his freshman year, in the 2010 season, Refsnyder batted .344 with two home runs in 57 games.

He was an All-Pacific-10 Honorable Mention.

As a sophomore, Refsnyder played in all 60 Wildcats games and batted .320 with six home runs.

Refsnyder was a first team selection for the All-Pacific 10 Conference teams.

After his sophomore season, Refsnyder played collegiate summer baseball for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Winning the 2012 College World Series (CWS) with the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, Refsnyder was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player.

The Yankees selected Refsnyder in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB draft.

They converted him from a right fielder into a second baseman, and he became one of their top prospects.

As a junior during the 2012 Wildcats season, Refsnyder batted .364, leading the Wildcats with eight home runs, and recording 66 runs batted in (RBIs) and 14 stolen bases.

In the first game of the 2012 College World Series (CWS), Refsnyder hit a home run.

Refsnyder batted 10-for-21 (.476) in the 2012 CWS and the Wildcats defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks.

He was named the CWS Most Outstanding Player.

The New York Yankees selected Refsnyder in the fifth round, with the 187th overall selection, in the 2012 MLB draft.

Though he played as a right fielder for Arizona, the Yankees profiled Refsnyder as a second baseman.

Refsnyder signed with the Yankees on July 6, receiving a $205,900 signing bonus.

He reported to the Charleston RiverDogs of the Class A South Atlantic League, where he made his professional debut on July 10.

He batted .241 for Charleston.

The Yankees assigned Refsnyder to Charleston to start the 2013 season.

After posting a .370 batting average and a .452 on-base percentage (OBP) in 13 games, Refsnyder was promoted to the Tampa Yankees of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League on April 19.

He batted .283 with a .408 OBP and a .404 slugging percentage in 117 games for Tampa, hitting six home runs and recording 51 RBIs.

He made his MLB debut in 2015, but did not become a regular for the Yankees.

He was traded to the Blue Jays in 2017, and played for the Rays in the 2018 season.

After spending the 2019 season in the minor leagues, Refsnyder made the Rangers' roster in 2020.

He played for the Twins in 2021 and joined the Red Sox in 2022.

Refsnyder was born Kim Jung-tae in Seoul, South Korea.

When he was five months old, he was adopted by Jane and Clint Refsnyder, a couple of German and Irish descent from Laguna Hills, California, through Holt International Children's Services.

Three years before the Refsnyders adopted Rob, they had adopted a girl, Elizabeth, also from South Korea.

Clint, a former college basketball player at Muhlenberg College, never let his son win at anything, pushing him to compete at his best.

Rob did not beat Clint at a pick-up game of basketball until he was 17.

Refsnyder became a fan of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball (MLB), rooting for Vladimir Guerrero.

He attended annual Christmas day games of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association with his father.

Refsnyder attended Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills, California, and he played baseball, basketball, and American football.

He played as a wide receiver and outside linebacker for the football team in his junior year, and as the quarterback in his senior year.

In his senior season, he was named his division's Offensive Player of the Year for the football team and co-most valuable player of the Pacific Coast League for the baseball team.

Colleges in the Pacific-10 Conference recruited Refsnyder to play quarterback for their football teams.

Enrolling at the University of Arizona, Refsnyder played college baseball for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team in the Pacific-10 Conference.