CORAL GABLES, Fla. — If the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has quieted down thanks to widespread underperformance on baseball’s Northeast Corridor, then it displayed its long-term viability at the University of Miami on Saturday.
The latest Cuban dynamo, center fielder Rusney Castillo, held the first-ever United States showcase of a Cuban player in front of nearly 100 talent evaluators at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park (yes, that Alex Rodriguez).
The 27-year-old showed off impressive power and speed and sparked speculation that he could match the $42 million Yasiel Puig received from the Dodgers two years ago, if not be as an impactful a player as Puig.
The Yankees sent four representatives. The Red Sox sent five.
In all, it’s believed 28 of the 30 major league teams had eyeballs on Castillo, who defected late last year and has taken on Roc Nation Sports, the venture led by Jay Z, as his agency.
Roc Nation represents just two other baseball players, former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano of the Mariners and currently injured pitcher CC Sabathia.
Now that Castillo performed in front of the industry, the sweepstakes to sign him could go quickly.
“I think he could be impacting a team this summer,” said Brodie Van Wagenen, head of the baseball division at Creative Artists Agency, which teams with Roc Nation for Roc Nation Sports. “We’re coming up on the trade deadline. I think a lot of teams may view this player as a trade-deadline-type acquisition, and that he could be playing in a pennant race in September.”
The Yankees’ witnesses included director of international scouting Donny Rowland, international crosscheckers Gordon Blakeley and Dennis Woody and professional scout Jay Darnell.
The Red Sox’s quintet featured vice president of player personnel Allard Baird and special assignment scout Galen Carr. The Mets sent professional scout Shaun McNamara.
The large group watched Castillo, listed at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, impressively run a 60-yard dash between 6.4 and 6.45 seconds. He took flyballs from right field and center field; from right field, he made throws to third base and home plate.
Then he took batting practice, showing off prodigious power to all fields. Two of his homers cleared the scoreboard in left field.
An opposite-field blast landed on the third level of a parking garage in right field. He didn’t fare as well against a “live” pitcher throwing to a catcher, hitting just one homer, yet he already had made his presence felt.
Castillo closed the two-hour session by taking ground balls at shortstop, where he played earlier in his career. The consensus, however, was that he will land in the outfield.
In an interview with The Post, with Roc Nation Sports president Juan Perez interpreting, Castillo said his best tool “has always been the offense, speed.” The scouts agreed.
One projected Castillo could make between $25 million and $35 million, “although I’m usually low.”
A second conceded that Castillo could get into Puig’s territory, given that so many teams now gotten a good look at him.