New York Yankees: Greg Bird Named Must-Watch Player for 2017

The New York Yankees have a lot of young talent on their team in 2017, but who is the most must-watch player on the team?

Coming into the 2017 season, the New York Yankees have a lot of young talent on their team. Last season, the Yankees made the decision to be sellers at the trade deadline in order to give their young talent a chance to shine.

One of the brightest stars for the Yankees was catcher, Gary Sanchez. After being called up, Sanchez took the majors by storm. He had one of the best rookie seasons in the history of baseball, but the sample size was a bit small.

With his first full season coming up in 2017, it will be interesting to see how Sanchez does for an entire season. Even though he likely won’t hit at the ridiculous pace he did last season, he should be able to have a good season.

While a lot of eyes will be on Sanchez, the Yankees also have some other young players that have a lot of talent. At first base, Greg Bird will be back for the Yankees in 2017 after missing the entire 2016 season because of shoulder surgery.

We first saw Bird with the Yankees in 2015, as he did an excellent job filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira. Recently, David Schoenfield of ESPN.com named Bird the most must-watch player for the Yankees in 2017. Here’s what he had to say about Bird.

"He hit .451 in spring training with eight home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He’s probably not the next Joey Votto, but maybe he could be?"

While all eyes might be on Sanchez, Bird is certainly capable of stealing the spotlight in 2017. After a dominant spring, Bird is hungry to make up for missing the entire 2016 season.

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Like Sanchez, Bird is in his early 20s and possesses a lot of talent. Bird can both hit and field well, and he will be an exciting player to watch not only in 2017 but for years to come.