Will Yankees Greg Bird be more Moose Skowron or Nick Johnson?

The Yankees hope that their Bird is ready to fly. But where will he land in the long line of Yankees first basemen?

Yankees first basemen have produced a long and storied legacy. From Donnie Baseball to the luckiest man alive, from the Highlanders to the Yankees, the Bronx first basemen is an unparalleled collection.

For instance, this twice-named team has produced both the greatest player to ever man the bag and the greatest defensive player perhaps ever, at any position. And it’s not the same man.

Even baseball’s penchant for nickname-a-fication is exemplified by this group of Yankees. Names reference royalty and a fascist dictator, while one’s very name is a warning that is known throughout the baseball land.

Now Greg Bird has joined that company. But what will his rank be when his Yankees service is complete, and he turns in his uniform? Time to take a look at the competition.

However, the only players that will be considered must be homegrown baby Yankees. That leaves out some of the best of the first base bombers, including Tino Martinez, Mark Teixeira, Chris Chambliss and Johnny Mize. Mize might not have made it anyway as he platooned during those early fifties championship runs.

Tino and Mark are the two best recent free agent first basemen. Any list of the best players to man the bag for the Yanks would always include those two. But between them was the last of the homegrown bombers to play first for the Yanks, however, brief the stint.

That was Nick Johnson. And it’s with him that our Greg Bird comparisons begin.