Yankees: Greg Bird likely to make the Opening Day roster
Greg Bird and Luke Voit have both played well enough to win the Yankees starting first base job this spring. So much so that neither one of them has really emerged as the favorite. Fortunately for them because of the injuries the team has suffered this camp it’s looking likely that both players will start the season on the Opening Day roster.
Entering spring training Luke Voit was the clear front runner to win the starting job, but Greg Bird has closed the gap and then some by having another outstanding spring up to this point. This isn’t the first time the Yankees have seen Bird put up huge numbers during February and March and for his sake, it’s a good thing he has.
After two straight seasons that were plagued by injuries and a lack of offensive production, this was the most important spring training of Bird’s Yankee career. He needed to step up this spring and show that he could still be a part of the team’s great young core moving forward. I know we shouldn’t take too much stock into spring numbers, especially with Bird, but credit to him for coming to Tampa ready to try and win a job.
Bird did suffer a scare on Wednesday when he was hit by a pitch in his right elbow which forced him to be scratched from the lineup on Thursday for precautionary reasons. Fortunately, x-rays came back negative and Aaron Boone said he expects him to return to the lineup this weekend to continue his great spring.
In 41 at-bats this spring Bird has raked, hitting .333 with 3 HR, 8 RBI and a .641 SLG %. He also has 10 BBs and a terrific OPS of 1.131. Bird has looked like a different player this spring and a lot of that is because he’s finally healthy and had a full offseason where he didn’t have to rehab another injury. His ankle is healed so he’s got full strength back in his lower half and he’s been able to plant his front foot down early and really impact the ball to all parts of the field.
From a strict numbers standpoint, I’d say Bird has had a slightly better spring than Voit, but Voit has been excellent himself and will certainly be on the 25-man roster. In 38 at-bats Voit’s hitting .316 with 4 HR, 11 RBI with an OPS of 1.053. His defense has also seen a big improvement according to the coaching staff. Bird has been considered the better defender at first since Voit joined the club but I think right now the Yanks would be comfortable putting either one of them out there on a daily basis.
It will be interesting to see who gets the nod to start there on Opening Day because right now we can pretty much assume that Bird will also be on the 25-man roster according to Boone. After the injury to Aaron Hicks, the Yankees now have a spot for both players on the roster.
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With Hicks out for at least the first series of the season Brett Gardner will shift over to take his place in center field and Giancarlo Stanton will take over in left. That means there will be an opening at DH and either Bird or Voit would be the best option to fill that role. Since Bird is probably still the better defender it’s likely that Voit will be the primary DH until Hicks returns to the lineup.
What happens once Hicks returns from the IL is a question that will be on everyone’s mind because it’s unlikely the Yanks will carry two guys who both only play primarily at first base. Neither Bird or Voit brings much versatility to the club so Boone and company are going to have a very tough decision to make in early April.
There’s an outside chance they continue to play Stanton in left and move Gardner to a bench role but Brian Cashman has already hinted that once Hicks comes back the team wouldn’t keep both players on the roster.
They’ll cross that bridge when they get there but after the performances they’ve each had this spring it’s a shame that one of them is going to be sent to Triple-A. Bird and Voit both clearly deserve to be on a big league roster, but if they’re not each going to get consistent at-bats there’s no point of having one of them waste their talents away on the bench.