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New York Yankees: Greg Bird Picked As Player With Something To Prove In Spring Training

By Kenneth Teape

Sep 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (31) follows through on a three-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (31) follows through on a three-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Yankees are getting Greg Bird back in the mix in 2017 and he was picked by Bradford Doolittle as the player with something to prove in Spring Training on the team.

The New York Yankees will have a lot to pay attention to during Spring Training. There are plenty of young players to watch as they will begin to reap the reward of the trades that Brian Cashman has made in recent years.

Top-flight prospects such as Gleyber Torress, Clint Frazier, Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, and Blake Rutherford receive a lot of attention, and rightfully so. Gary Sanchez burst onto the scene last season and is being counted on as a big time contributor in 2017. One player that gets lost in the shuffle is first baseman Greg Bird.

It was not long ago that Bird was looked at as a top flight prospect for the Yankees. The 24-year old was regarded as the best hitter in the Yankees system, making his major league debut in 2015.

Bird had a strong debut, helping to fill the void left by the injured Mark Teixeira. Bird played in 46 games in his rookie season, making 178 plate appearances. He registered a slash line of .261/.343/.529, exhibiting his patience and power at the plate. He had 11 home runs, nine doubles and 19 walks in his first taste of the major leagues.

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The Yankees were happy with how Bird played when thrown into action, but there was just nowhere to play him in 2016 with Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez still around. As a result, Bird was expected to return to Triple-A, but he ended up not playing the entire 2016 season.

Bird injured his shoulder originally in the 2015 season and felt it again as he prepped for 2016. It turned out that he had a torn labrum and was forced to undergo surgery that ended his 2016 campaign before it even got started.

Bird was able to play in the Arizona Fall League and looks healthy. Will he have a place in the lineup upon return? Since he was injured the Yankees have found out that Tyler Austin is capable of helping out at first base. The Yankees also signed veteran slugger Chris Carter, who tied for the National League lead with 41 home runs in 2016.

That means Bird will be competing for playing time in the regular season in Spring Training, and why Bradford Doolittle picked Bird as the player on the Yankees with something to prove in Spring Training.

Doolittle compiled an article on ESPN with a player that has something to prove from each team in the major leagues in Spring Training. His selection for the Yankees was Bird. Here is what he had to say about him.

"Bird will take over at first base for the retired Mark Teixeira. After emerging as a late-season sensation in 2015 by hitting 11 homers in 46 games, Bird missed the entire 2016 season because of shoulder surgery. Bird was back playing by the time the last edition of the Arizona Fall League rolled around and will compete for playing time with Tyler Austin and recently signed veteran slugger Chris Carter. Like Gary Sanchez, Bird set a high bar for himself with his out-of-the-gate performance in the majors, and the Yankees will be anxious to see whether he continues the same course after a year-long detour. They could use the 2015 version of Bird after ranking 28th in first base WAR last season, per baseball-reference.com."

What Bird has in his favor is that he is left-handed. If the Yankees decide to go with a platoon at first base, he would definitely receive playing time; both Austin and Carter are right-handed hitters.

Another area that Bird has the advantage in is fielding. Carter is not a good fielder and Austin is still learning first base after being an outfielder.

Bird will have to earn the playing time. He missed an entire season, which will undoubtedly set him back. He will have to regain his timing and knock off the rust, some of which was done during the Arizona Fall League.

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It will probably take a group effort at first to replace Teixeira, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bird take control of the job at some point in the summer, especially if he plays as he did as a rookie in 2015.

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