How Yankees’ diverse clubhouse makes room for two Ivy Leaguers | Klapisch – NJ.com

NEW YORK — It wasn’t so long ago that an MLB scout would look skeptically on a prospect from the Ivy League. Industry wisdom said unless you’re Lou Gehrig, no one with an elite diploma would spend three or four years buried in the minors.Not when you can be a wolf of Wall Street. Even the hot shots who were drafted faced a second challenge: convincing teammates they were serious ballplayers. But that perception is evolving. Brainiacs are now everywhere in the sport, especially in the front offices. Nearly half of major league executives have graduated from one of the seven Ivy universities.That acceptance has worked its way into the clubhouses, as well. Just ask Ben Rice (Dartmouth) and Jake Cousins (Penn) what the Yankees think of having two Ivy Leaguers in their midst.“The guys are definitely aware of it,” Rice said the other day. “They find it kind of interesting, but I’m proud of it.”“I think everyone is realizing baseball in the Ivy League is legit,” Cousins said. “If you come from there, you can play. And last year, when I pitched in the World Series, it was pretty cool. It was like, ‘one of us (Ivy Leaguers) made
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