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.

First Base

Both Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi have already said publicly that the team expects the 2017 first base job to be decided by a spring training competition between Greg Bird and Tyler Austin.

If he’s healthy, Bird is the clear favorite after his electric performance in the second half of 2015 when he hit .261/.343/.529 (135 OPS+) with 11 home runs and 31 RBI in 178 PA.

Austin has more to prove at the big league level after hitting .241/.300/.458 (99 OPS+) with five home runs during his first taste of the big leagues. He struggled mightily at times, but did show the ability to break out and put on impressive power displays at time. He finished the year strong by going 6-for-12 with two homers.

This seems like the Yankees best opportunity for a straight platoon. The lefty Bird would see the majority of the playing time, but would be eased back into big league life as a semi-part time player after missing the 2016 season with shoulder surgery.

Bird had a clear platoon split in his admittedly small 2015 sample, with a .915 OPS against RHP and .752 against LHP. Looking at Austin’s minor league work this year, he also has a slight split, with a .880 OPS against RHP and a .909 against LHP.

Right Field

The team has made it clear that incumbent right field starter Aaron Judge will have to re-earn the job next spring after his miserable first month in the big leagues. The 24-year-old rookie hit .179/.263/.345 (61 OPS+) with four home runs and a 44.2 K% in 95 PA after his August 14th call up.

Like Bird, Judge might be best served by being eased into big league action in a platoon role, using a lefty outfielder like Mason Williams or a switch hitter like Aaron Hicks to shelter him against tough right-handed pitching.

Judge had a clear platoon split in Triple-A, with a .775 OPS against RHP and a .888 OPS against LHP. On the other hand, Williams had a .704 OPS against RHP and a .658 OPS against LHP with the Railriders.

Hicks is likely ahead of Williams on the outfield depth chart, but he makes less sense as a platoon partner for Judge because he has historically been stronger against lefties, although that wasn’t the case in 2016. If the Yankees decide to start Judge in the minor leagues because of a weak showing in the spring, a Williams/Hicks or Williams Refsnyder platoon is another option.

Left Field

Although he hasn’t had much of a platoon split in his career, Yankees left fielder now looks like a candidate to share time after his disappointing 2016. Gardy’s OPS was 100 points higher against right-handed pitching this season.

In addition, the 33-year-old has frequently battled nagging injuries and fatigue in the second half during frequent seasons. One way to boost his flagging production might be more frequent days off going forward.

Coming into the season, Joe Girardi had said he planned to rest his veterans more often, but Gardner played over 145 games and collected more than 600 PA for the fourth straight season. It’s probably not a coincidence that the frequently beat-up Gardner saw his power numbers decline for the third straight year.

One intriguing possibility is making Aaron Hicks the platoon partner for both Gardner and Aaron Judge. Sitting Judge against righties and Gardy against lefties would open up an everyday role for the talented Hicks, and finally allow the Yankees to see what they have in the former first rounder if he’s given the opportunity to play regularly.

Another factor is that Gardner could be shopped once again this winter, opening up the spot for the Hicks/Williams platoon discussed for right field. Clint Frazier is another possibility to be in the mix, but I suspect when he is promoted, it would be to play every day.