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Yankees’ Editorial: Greg Bird Is Showing He Is Ready

By Tyler Angelo

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The New York Yankees are acting like a proud father and displaying their farm system this Spring. They underwent the youth movement in the off-season and now we are witnessing the hard work of Brian Cashman’s wheeling-and-dealing.

In a past article, I discussed how the Yankees’ future is bright and we are beginning to see potential super stars come out of their farm system once again. One player in particular that I discussed was first base man Gregory Bird.

Bird has been having a tremendous Spring Training and he is making his case that he is big league ready now. He can flat out rake!

According to Yankees.com Bird is 4-9 this Spring with a homer and three RBI. His slash line of .444/.444/1.000 is a demonstration of the type of well rounded hitter Bird is. I know I am getting ahead of myself because it is such a small sample size and it is only Spring Training but, as a fan, I can’t help but be excited about his talent. His stats are impressive so far but a young kid who has a veteran’s presence at the plate is rare and that is why I am on the Bird hype train.

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In an old article for baseballamerica.com Bill Mitchell discussed Greg Bird’s love for the game. This is all you need to know about the kid’s passion for the game.

"“He’s a student of the game,” said Scorpions hitting coach P.J. Pilittere who, like Bird, is a member of the New York Yankees organization. “When he’s not in the lineup he watches every pitch. When he’s off the field, he’s talking baseball with the guys. Whoever wants to talk hitting, he’s there. And he loves that … he’s a bit of a throwback player who doesn’t want to sit at his locker and lock into his iPad or his music …. He wants to talk about the game.”"

His approach to the game is the reason he was ranked #120 on Fangraphs’ top 200 prospects in baseball. His plus power at the plate, combined with an uncanny patient approach at the plate, will have him thriving in the show. The only adjustment he will need to make is to the major league off-speed that pitchers’ boast. He has a high strikeout rate like any other young power hitter.

If Mark Teixeira‘s gluten free diet does not prove to be effective this season and he continues to decompose, then the arrival of Bird might be just in time.

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