Evaluating the Yankees Bench in 2016

The Yankees bench will be led by some new faces in 2016.

Key reserves from last year’s squad, including John Ryan Murphy, Chris Young, Garrett Jones and Brendan Ryan, are gone. But, that doesn’t mean the Bronx Bombers are shorthanded when it comes to bench talent.

According to Chad Jennings of lohud.com, New York’s bench is set to “play [a] key role” this season.

"“…it wouldn’t be particularly unusual for the Yankees to lean a little more heavily on [a] small but trusted group of reserves,” Jennings said. “Other teams have done it with some success. It doesn’t have to be a perfect rotation the way Ian envisioned in this morning’s Pinch Hitter post, but it makes sense to see some sort of increased bench usage this season.”"

Led by Aaron Hicks, Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder, the 2016 version of the Yankees bench has all the makings of a strong unit.

Hicks, who was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins on Nov. 11 in exchange for Murphy, figures to be the Yankees’ most prominent bench contributor.

The 26-year-old hit .256 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs in 93 games with the Twins last season.

However, Hicks wasn’t brought to the Bronx for his offense. The Yankees brought Hicks in because of his defensive prowess.

Having already played each outfield position at the Major League level, Hicks will provide the Yankees with a ton of defensive flexibility. When Hicks, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury are on the field at the same time, the trio has the potential to be one of the best defensive outfield alignments in baseball.

Additionally, Hicks will likely see time late in games as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.

Joe Girardi already said he envisions Hicks starting four games each week, so Yankees fans should get accustomed to seeing a healthy dose of the speedy outfielder in 2016.

Ackley was an unlikely offensive catalyst for the Yankees down the stretch last season.

After spending more than a month on the disabled list, Ackley hit .310 in September with four home runs and nine RBIs.

While the Yankees would certainly love to see Ackley continue to succeed offensively, the 27-year-old’s versatility is what will ultimately help his team the most.

Last season, Ackley played five different positions with both the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners, including right field, center field, left field, first base and second base.

Few players today have the ability to play five different positions. While Ackley probably won’t need to play all five positions for the Yankees in 2016, his adaptability will certainly be an asset.

After losing Greg Bird for the entire 2016 campaign, look for the Yankees to utilize Ackley at first base this season.

Refsnyder played fairly infrequently after making his Major League debut on July 11. The 24-year-old second baseman played in just four games before getting sent back down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

It wasn’t until late September when Refsnyder began to see more consistent playing time in the big leagues. Playing in nine of the Yankees’ final 11 games, Refsnyder hit .366 with a home run and two RBIs.

The rookie was even named the Yankees’ starting second baseman in the do-or-die American League Wild Card Game against the Houston Astros.

With Ackley likely to play more first base this season due to the Bird injury, Refsnyder looks to be the Yankees’ new backup second baseman. Starlin Castro was brought in to be the team’s everyday second baseman, so it will be rare to see Refsnyder penciled into the Yankees’ starting lineup.

Despite Castro’s presence, Refsnyder should get his chance to shine as a pinch hitter in 2016.

This season, the Yankees bench will be a flexible group filled with youth and talent. Losing a number of important pieces from last year’s bench shouldn’t make much of a difference to this year’s supporting cast.

Yankees fans should expect key contributions from players like Hicks, Ackley and Refsnyder in 2016.