Yankees Starting Lineup for First Spring Training Game

Today at 1:05 PM, the Yankees take on the Phillies in the first official contest of the 2017 Grapefruit League. Here’s the lineup manager Joe Girardi will trot out there.

The much-anticipated arrival of Yankees baseball is almost here! Today in Tampa, at George M. Steinbrenner Field, a battle of young right-handers will commence, as Bryan Mitchell will toe the rubber against Alec Asher. Asher was suspended for 80 games last season, after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug, Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone.

As for the players making up the Yankees’ batting order, the main omission from today’s contest is center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Before anyone rushes out to claim that Ellsbury is in some sort of dog house, remember, he was a late arrival to camp due to the birth of his daughter. He’ll likely need a few more days of light activity before being fully fit for game action.

Here’s the Yankees lineup that’ll take the field:

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1. CF – Brett Gardner
2. SS – Didi Gregorius
3. C – Gary Sanchez
4. DH – Matt Holliday
5. 1B – Greg Bird
6. 2B – Starlin Castro
7. 3B – Chase Headley
8. LF – Aaron Hicks
9. RF – Aaron Judge

It remains to be seen what transpires during the rest of Spring Training, but all in all, this is a pretty solid lineup. It’s possible that Ellsbury slots into the No. 8 spot when the season begins, especially if Girardi is serious about breaking he and Gardner up because of their similar skill sets. Hicks would need to rip the cover off the ball this spring to hold down left field for the foreseeable future. Unless of course, Judge continues to strikeout at a record pace.

If that were to happen, and Hicks limps along as he did prior to the Carlos Beltran trade last season, prospect Clint Frazier may get a legit shot at making the opening day roster.

For the fans in attendance, it’ll be their first look at the newly remodeled Steinbrenner Field and surrounding stadium features. Crews were working until the 11th hour, finalizing details of the $40M renovation.

Next: This Is the Real Ellsbury

I for one can’t wait to be part of all the excitement this Sunday. I’ll be live Tweeting from the game against the Blue Jays, so be sure to follow me for updates and analysis.