In the technobabble of modern baseball, players have been dehumanized into mathematical methods and maxims. Lest we forget that as much as the eggheads love their WAR and wOBA, this is still a game governed, managed, played, scouted and watched by human beings.

And then along comes the story of Andrew Velazquez, the hometown kid turned whiz kid for the Yankees, who invites us to take time to consider our place in the universe, to step away from the matrix for some perspective.

Turns out Velazquez has ties to our corner of the world, a high school kid almost a decade ago signed by Todd Donovan, a scout for the Diamondbacks at the time. Donovan, the East Lyme native who made it to Triple-A with the Padres, is scouting for the Phillies now, but admitted Thursday "it's been fun being a Yankee fan for the last two weeks" as Viva Velazquez rolls on.

"When I met him as a 17 year old in the home," Donovan was saying Thursday, "all I can say is that he was destined to do this. He had a certain way about him. He has prepared mentally and physically for these moments. A kid who played high school ball in the Bronx now playing for the Yankees. I don't want to call it '15 minutes.' It's not.

"We all believe in the baseball gods in this world. This is like divine intervention for this to happen to this kid at this time in that organization."

Donovan has done some serious mental inventory in recent weeks, watching the kid he signed from Fordham Prep in the seventh round master the hallowed sports concept of "when." His timely hitting and guile at shortstop probably had Red Sox fans reaching for the Maalox or Makers Mark last week.

Donovan remembers his drives from East Lyme to the Bronx fondly. How Velazquez "didn't get a hit the first three games I watched." Yet he liked Velazquez so much that he thought it paramount not to clue in other organizations about him. That's where Velazquez earned the nickname "Mighty Mouse," a way for Donovan and other Arizona scouts to discuss Velazquez without revealing his name.

"I would watch some of his high school games hiding behind trees," Donovan said. "We tried to hide him. I would tell people who saw me 'do me a favor and don't tell anyone I was here.' Andrew was my guy. People I know kind of lived through that scouting process with me as I went to the Bronx to watch him. My favorite player, favorite kid."

Velazquez was in the minors in 2014 when the D-Backs traded him and another player for pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, who had been the American League Rookie of the Year three years earlier.

Here is what was written of Velazquez at the time: "Previously a largely marginal prospect, he 20-year-old Velazquez made his name with a record-setting 74-game on-base streak this year, besting the more celebrated run of Mookie Betts. He finished a full season at low-A with a .290/.367/.428 slash to go with nine home runs and an eye-opening 50 stolen bases over 623 trips to bat. MLB.com says that Velazquez has improved his approach and strike zone awareness while delivering plus speed, though his small size and remaining contact issues could limit him moving forward."

"In the scouting world, when you draft a player, you want that player to get to majors. That makes it a good draft," Donovan said. "We all know how hard it is to get to majors with team that drafted you. Get to majors in our world and that counts. Andrew did what he was supposed to do for us.

"The only reason this is a good story is because he's from the Bronx. I think what Andrew is doing now on that stage for his hometown team is showing everything we thought of him as an organization when we took him."

Consider, too, how many other players have been promoted from Scranton this season as the Yankees have negotiated injuries, COVID and maddening inconsistency. And then along comes Velazquez, the hometown kid, coloring some serendipity into the Pinstripes.

"I've come to learn just by reading a million articles the last two weeks that he had an out in his contract with the Yankees," Donovan said. "He could have left. He was having great year in Triple-A. A handful of players got opportunities before he did.

"Before I scouted him, he was a centerfielder. When guys like (Esteban) Florial and (Ryan) Lamarre got called up, let's face it, as an athlete, the frustration can mount.  Do you get sad or mad? Most would get sad and go elsewhere to get to the big leagues. That's where the story for me, at least present day, starts writing its own script."

The great unwritten script. Which is why sports beat all sometimes.

"Our scouting director at the time was Ray Montgomery. He went to Fordham. This kid is from Fordham Prep. Can you believe that?" Donovan said. "This is a feel good story when we all need something to feel good about."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro