Yankees Roster Cuts: Who’ll Be The Last Men Standing

The Yankees made the first in a series of cuts on Sunday sending 11 players down and leaving 56 still in camp. The process will continue until the team reaches its 25-man limit. This means we have 11 down and 31 to go. How will it shake out?

The Yankees, more so than most other teams, have some very hard decisions to make over the next couple weeks in paring down their roster before meeting the Tampa Bay Rays for Opening Day on April 2.

Assuming that the anointed 25 will come from their 40-man roster and not from a last minute trade or two, it is safe to presume that the only remaining mysteries are the two spots in the bullpen and two utility or bench players who are versatile enough to handle at least three and, preferably all four of the infield positions.

But other position player battles are looming as well, so let’s take a glance at them first:

Who’s Your Backup Catcher?

Coming into the spring, the hands on favorite was their carryover from last season, Austin Romine. The Yankees have made it known that they are looking for more offense from Romine and he has responded this spring, hitting for an average of .320 in 25 plate appearances.

His challenger, Kyle Higashioka, a 7th round draft pick by the Yankees in 2008, has responded in kind with six hits in 12 at-bats with two home runs. He’s bounced around the organization for nine years and until this spring has flown under the team’s radar. At 26, his career has reached a crossroad unless he is content with being one of those minor league lifers.

It’s likely that Romine wins the job by default as neither player offers any serious offensive threat. The Yankees know what they have in Romine, and therefore, he’s the safer bet.

The Outfield Conundrum

Nowhere is the battle for jobs raging with more fire than in the Yankees outfield. Of the players on the roster, only Mason Williams can be eliminated with certainty. An injury hasn’t helped Williams this spring, but the Yankees need to acknowledge that he doesn’t fit into their plans and set the man free as part of a package deal with another team.

Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury tie up two of the outfield spots, although Gardner is having an atrocious spring hitting only .203 with a .233 OBP and the time may be now for him to begin looking over his shoulder at who might be gaining on him.

The competition between Aaron Hicks and Aaron Judge has been well publicized, and the latest word from Yankees camp indicates that Hicks will win the job and the team will take advantage of the option remaining on Judge to send him down to Triple-A. So be it.

The key thing about the Yankees this season, as opposed to others in their recent past, is that the team has options. And lots of them.

The conundrum reaches its apex, however, when you consider that three non-roster players have opened some eyes this spring. Justin Fowler is being touted as the Yankees future center fielder, while Billy McKinney, who was acquired from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman deal last summer,  has come out of nowhere to capture the attention of the team, as well as fans who are engaged in his all-out style of play.

And then, you come to the wild card in Clint Frazier. Albeit with a small sample, Frazier leads the team in strikeouts (8) and has yet to display the power he is capable of providing. Obtained from the Indians in the trade that sent Andrew Miller to the Tribe, Frazier has gained more attention for his hair than with his bat. He has options remaining and probably needs more seasoning in the minors.

Depending on what Joe Girardi is looking for in a backup outfielder and if he can’t couple that with a Ben Zobrist type utility player from the infield group, Frazier might sneak in there, at least to begin the season with the others starting the season with Al Pedrique at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Sorting Out The Mess In The Infield

Despite our dreams, Gleyber Torres will begin the season in Double-A Trenton as prescribed by Brian Cashman many moons ago. And of the current players on the 40-man roster, only Miguel Andujar can be quickly dismissed from the team going North.

From there, however, the picture is as murky as the swamp in Louisiana that Ron Guidry likes to fish in and play with alligators.

The infield itself is set with Greg Bird at first, Starlin Castro at second, Didi Gregorius at short, and Chase Headley manning third. So it’s the reserve spots that are open and a host of candidates ready to assume the role(s) will give any general manager a headache.

Among Jorge Mateo, Rob Refsnyder, and Ronald Torreyes, the competition is most severe. And now there are whispers that Tyler Wade may have snuck his way into the contest as well.

Among the four, pick two. Of the four, Refsnyder is the most versatile since he can play in the outfield as well as all four infield positions. But reports continue to circulate that his days as a Yankee may have come to an end, and he’ll be traded.

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Forget the stats on this one because it’s going to be a “feel” decision on the part of Girardi and Cashman. And neither seems intent on revealing their choices at the moment.

From where I sit on the outside looking in, I would hate to see Refsnyder go. No one in baseball is ever “owed” anything. It’s business, and it needs to operate as such. And if the Yankees can get something of value back in return for Refsnyder, good for everyone.

But at the same time, they will, hopefully, think long and hard before they let him go without having given him 400-450 at-bats in any given season. Because, this guy can hit.

Yankees Bullpen Not A Problem

The challenge for the two spots in the bullpen is a non-issue as middle-game relievers in the game today are a dime a dozen. Tyler Clippard, Adam Warren, and Chasen Shreve will provide the bulk of the work needed to get to Aroldis Chapman.

Of the rest, the Yankees could pick almost anybody, and if they don’t work out, a reach into their farm system could produce a holdover talent, or a close watch on the waiver and transaction wire will produce someone to fill a gap. Joe Mantilpy, a pre-spring Girardi favorite would be a likely call-up if the need arises.

Round and Round She Goes…….

The key thing about the Yankees this season, as opposed to others in their recent past, is that the team has options. And lots of them. The team that moves North will most certainly not be the team that finishes the season in October.

And a story that has yet to be written, though I will try, is the one that compares the team roster on April 2, Opening Day, to the roster that closes the season in early October.

Yankees: Any which Way You Can Is Just Fine, Jacoby

Yankees center fielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, is showing signs of unleashing himself this Spring. And he's doing it his own. Fine, any which way you can.

They said it was going to be a transition year and, boy, and they weren’t kidding.