Yankees: The Top Five Hitters For Your Fantasy Team

Number 5: Greg Bird

It was a disappointment to see Bird go down for an entire season, especially with the success he was able to produce coming from the 2015 season. This is the first year that fans get to see what he can do with the Yankees. He hit nine doubles and 11 home runs in 46 games proving that he will be able to generate statistics that are needed out of a first baseman; especially without Mark Teixeira.

This is the primary example of being patient because Bird has not played a game for an entire season. He will more than likely not just jump in and start setting the world on fire. He will need some time to adapt to being the Yankees every day first baseman. The reason Bird is not higher despite what his projected statistics are is because of his injury, no telling the impact it can leave.

What we have seen

Bird can be a juggernaut in the Yankee lineup and could wreak some havoc on opposing pitchers if he can orchestrate some of the numbers that he was able to before he was injured. He was able to have a .343 on-base percentage gathered from his 41 hits and 19 walks while managing a .529 slugging percentage. His average was better than Teixeira’s in 2015, albeit a small sample size, at .261. With 31 runs batted in the only statistic that needs to drop is his 53 strikeouts with only 157 at-bats that are a high amount of strikeouts, averaging a little more than one every third at-bat.

Projections

Given Bird’s small sample size he would be projected to hit 33 home runs, score 78 runs, produce 93 RBIs, 57 walks and 27 doubles on 123 hits. His production relies on his health just like anyone else, but to generate this kind of production Bird would only need to play in 138 games.

His downfall, of course, would be the strike out. He is projected to strike out 159 times reducing his fantasy value a little bit. He is expected, as I said given his sample size, for the 2017 season 318 fantasy points.