New York Yankees: Options to replace Greg Bird at first base

Tyler Austin and Billy McKinney

The term “natural” when it comes to these two first basemen is being used pretty loosely. Tyler Austin was drafted as a catcher out of high school, although he’s been playing first base since joining the New York Yankees back in 2010. Billy McKinney was drafted as an outfielder and played as such until this spring when the Yankees’ outfield depth forced him to give first base a try.

These two are the most obvious replacements for Greg Bird.

Austin will likely get the first shot at manning first base in the Bronx. He’s already said he’s ready if needed. Austin has seen time in the major leagues in each of the past two seasons. He hit .241 with five home runs in 31 games in 2016 and hit .225 with two home runs in 20 games in 2017.

Austin has the most experience defensively at first base, which helps make him the favorite. He’s also a .287 career hitter in the minor leagues and has hit 27 home runs over the last two seasons in Double and Triple-A.

McKinney seemed to put everything together last season in Triple-A and backed it up with a power-packed 2018 spring training. McKinney hit .306 with 10 home runs in 55 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. He then hit a team-leading five home runs this spring. He also leads the Yankees with 13 RBI and is tied for the team lead with 10 walks.

McKinney is still learning the nuances of first base and although he had five homers this spring, he only had seven hits overall (.171 BA). McKinney is also tied for the team lead with 17 strikeouts.

A former first-round pick, McKinney’s ceiling now may only be a fourth outfielder/backup first baseman. Austin may have a similar ceiling at this point, but he also has a higher floor.