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New York Yankees Wisely Name Greg Bird Starting First Baseman

By Nick Ziegler

Mar 20, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (33) takes batting practice before a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2017; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (33) takes batting practice before a spring training game against the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Yankees have recently announced that Greg Bird will be their starting first baseman in 2017. Is this the right decision?

One of the budding young stars for the New York Yankees is first baseman, Greg Bird. In 2015, Bird made his debut for the Yankees, as he filled in for the injured Mark Teixeira.

That season, Teixeira was having an MVP-caliber season prior to getting hurt. Many thought the loss of Teixeria was going to ruin the Yankees’ season, but Bird filled in very well for him. In 2015, Bird totaled a .261 batting average, 11 home runs, and 31 RBIs.

The strong season from Bird led many to believe that the future was bright for the young left-handed hitter. Unfortunately, Bird was injured prior to the start of the 2016 season. A shoulder injury resulted in season-ending surgery before the season even began. As a building block for the future, this was certainly unfortunate news for the Yankees and Bird.

After missing the entire 2016 season, nothing was going to be guaranteed for Bird this season. Even though he was pegged as the future at first base for the Yankees, he had to earn it. This offseason, the Yankees signed Chris Carter, who was one of the best home run hitters in baseball last season, and also a first baseman.

Despite the signing of Carter, Bird will be the Yankees’ starting first baseman according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com.

Bird has certainly earned the job, as he is batting .429 this spring. Despite missing the entire season, Bird hasn’t missed a beat offensively. Bird currently ranks first in the entire MLB this spring in extra base hits with 11.

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Missing an entire season this early in a career can certainly affect a player’s development. However, that hasn’t been the case for Bird. As the starting first baseman for the Yankees, Bird will go right back to being an impact prospect to watch in the Bronx.

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