Breaking Down the Platoon Options for the 2017 Yankees Lineup

During his tenure as New York Yankees manager, Joe Girardi has consistently been one of the best skippers in the American League at getting platoon advantage for his players. Here is a look at some of his options for 2017 platoons:

The New York Yankees have ranked among the top three American League clubs in getting the platoon advantage for their batters in seven of Joe Girardi’s eight seasons as manager of the club.

The only exception to Girardi’s excellence in this regard was the 2013 campaign, when a series of crazy fluke injuries devastated the lineup during spring training, leaving the front office scrambling to find warm bodies to put in the lineup.

The 2016 Yankees ranked second in the AL by ensuring the platoon advantage in 68% of their plate appearances. It’s true that New York’s offense was pretty abysmal for much of the year, but we don’t know how much worse it might have been if it wasn’t for Girardi’s binder.

With many of the biggest egos and established stars gone from the Yankees roster, Girardi might have even greater freedom to play the match ups and tinker. There are at least four spots in the lineup that have some degree of uncertainty. For each one, we’ll look at the likelihood the Yankees run with a straight platoon, and what the options would be if they go that route.