Yankees: Seven players fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring

Entering spring training we have a pretty good idea of who will make up the majority of the Yankees Opening Day roster, but there are still a couple of spots that will be fought for throughout camp.

The Yankees roster is totally stacked from top to bottom. The lineup and the bullpen are still amongst the best in the game and the starting rotation is much improved after the addition of superstar ace Gerrit Cole this offseason.

It’s hard to find an area of weakness on this Yankee team which is why there aren’t many spots left to claim on the Opening Day roster. The new rule change to a 26-man roster is one I’m sure every team is going to welcome with open arms, especially the players who will battle for roster spots over the course of the next month.

The Yankees will likely feature a four-man bench once the season rolls around and continue to carry 13 pitchers as they did for much of last season. It’s safe to say assume that Miguel Andujar will be on the roster now that he’s healthy after missing the majority of last year and he should make a huge impact offensively, regardless of his position. I think Mike Tauchman will also earn a spot following his breakout campaign in 2019 and because of his ability to defend at all three positions in the outfield.

Tauchman will be one of the four bench players when he’s not platooning in the starting outfield and Kyle Higashioka will likely join him as the backup catcher if he can put together a solid spring. That means there’s probably going to be an open competition for the final two spots on the bench.

On the pitching side, I predict Jordan Montgomery will be the fifth starter in the rotation even though there are four other names in the mix to win the job. One of the players competing against Montgomery is Luis Cessa, but he showed last season that he’s much better off pitching out of the pen and since he’s out of options I’d expect him to make the club as a reliever. James Paxton will start the season on the IL so I’d say there are 11 pitchers who are locks to make the 26-man roster and if you look at the 40-man you can pretty much guess who they are.

With two spots left in the pen, the race to win those jobs should be a fun one to watch play out. Every year there are always names we aren’t talking about now who could really impress and force their way on to the team. However, right now it looks there are at least four pitchers who are definitely in the mix to fill those last two spots, starting with this man…

1B Mike Ford

Ford was one of the many Baby Bombers who burst onto the scene in 2019 and made a huge impact despite starting the season in the minors. Ford was somewhat of an afterthought entering spring training this time a year ago, but in April he was called up to make his big league debut because of all the early season injuries the Yankees suffered.

Ford had three stints with the Yanks last season and after being called up on August 3rd he stayed in the big leagues for the rest of the season and for good reason. Ford played in 50 games in 2019 and finished the year with a .259 AVG, 12 HR, 25 RBI and an OPS of .909. His best stretch came in the final two months of the season when he combined to hit .274 with 11 HR, 23 RBI, and a .619 SLG%. He hit .343 in September with an OPS of 1.142.

I thought Ford deserved a spot on the ALDS roster over Luke Voit who really struggled down the stretch after returning from injury but he was left off and sent to Tampa. This spring he’s still behind Voit on the depth chart at first base, but if he can put together a strong performance throughout camp he’ll definitely earn consideration for a spot on the 26-man roster.

One factor that could give Ford an edge this spring is he’s a left-handed hitter which is something the Yankees are seriously lacking with Aaron Hicks injured and Didi Gregorius now in Philadelphia. He also has a terrific eye at the plate and doesn’t strike out a lot so he’d be a great option to have on the bench.

Even though Voit will likely start the year as the starting first basemen he still has a lot to prove as well and if he falters he could end splitting some of the reps with Ford. Neither one is a plus defender, but Ford strikes out a lot less than Voit does and he could add more balance to the lineup with his left-handed pop.

OF Clint Frazier

For the second straight spring, Clint Frazier will arrive at Yankees camp knowing that he faces an uphill climb to earn a roster spot this spring. Last year it was because he was coming off a season plagued by concussion symptoms but this year it has more to do with being near the bottom of the outfield depth chart and his struggles defensively in 2019.

Frazier played a big role for the Yanks offensively during the first half of last season hitting .284 with 11 HR and 34 RBI, but after being sent down in June he didn’t return to the majors until rosters expanded in September. Part of the reason why was because there wasn’t a spot in the lineup for him to earn consistent playing time but it also probably had a lot to do with his performance in the outfield during his first stint.

To put it bluntly, Frazier wasn’t a major league caliber outfielder for the Yanks in 2019. He has a strong throwing arm but he was poor in every facet of defending his position and that includes overshooting the cut-off man a handful of times. His lack of accountability one Sunday night in the Bronx after his worst defensive showing of the season against Boston also didn’t help his cause. After botching three balls hit to him in a Yankee loss he refused to speak with the media after the game. He was sent down less than two weeks later.

All offseason and prior to last year’s trade deadline Frazier’s name was included in multiple rumors but the Yankees held onto him because they couldn’t find a deal to their liking. Frazier will probably be on the block again this season especially if he starts the year in the minors, but the front office has shown that they’re not going to trade him just for the sake of getting rid of him.

Despite his lackluster defense, there’s no doubt he can hit at the major league level so he still has value and the Yankees know that. However, unless someone in the outfield gets injured this spring he’s going to have a very difficult time overtaking Mike Tauchman as the team’s fourth outfielder.

Tauchman is an elite defender who can play all three positions and he’s another left-handed bat so he’s a much better fit in that role.

INFs Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade

Thairo Estrada and Tyler Wade could very well be competing head to head with each other for a spot on the Opening Day roster. It’s hard to imagine the Yankees starting the season with both of them on the roster as utility infielders especially with Miguel Andujar transitioning to a similar role as well.

Estrada and Wade are terrific defenders at both middle infield positions and one of them will be needed on the roster to provide insurance behind Gleyber Torres at shortstop. Between the two, Estrada looks like he has more upside offensively based on his performance last season, but Wade is the better baserunner and the fastest man on the Yankees 40-man roster.

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The 23-year-old Estrada also made his major league debut last April because of all the injuries the Yankees suffered and he really played well in his first of five stints with the club in 2020. He hit a combined .280 with 3 HR, 11 RBI and a .520 SLG% in 50 combined at-bats in April and May. He only had 14 at-bats after the All-Star break and hit .143, but that didn’t take away from the strong first impression he made early in the season.

After looking totally overmatched in limited stints with the Yanks in 2017 and 2018 (combined .161 BA) Wade hit .245 last season with 2 HR and 16 RBI in 94 at-bats. He also stole seven bases without getting caught.

Wade (25) has more experience than Estrada does and I’d give him the slight edge defensively at shortstop as well. He also played well in left field in spurts last season, but that doesn’t mean he has any sort of edge entering camp. Whoever plays betters this spring deserves to make the Opening Day roster.

That being said, either one of them would be solid additions to the Yankees bench because of their speed and versatility.

RHPs Jonathan Holder and Ben Heller

Non-roster invitees like Chad Bettis, who was just signed on Saturday and returning veterans David Hale and Tyler Lyons could end up earning one of the final bullpen spots. However, both Holder and Heller have an advantage over the guys signed to minor-league deals because they’re already on the 40-man roster.

A year ago Holder was a lock to be a part of the Yankees bullpen after he was one of Aaron Boone’s most trusted relievers throughout the 2018 season. Unfortunately, his stock took a major hit during the first half of last season and by late June he was demoted to Triple-A. After pitching to an unimpressive 4.55 ERA through May the wheels fell off for Holder in June. He simply couldn’t get hitters out and posted an ERA of 14.63 with six home runs allowed in just eight innings of work.

Watching him struggle as much as he did was not only hard to watch but hard to understand. He only pitched in three games with the Yanks following his demotion, but this spring he can start over with a clean slate and hopefully regain his form from two seasons ago.

Heller, on the other hand, missed the majority of last season recovering from TJ surgery in April of 2018. He was able to return to the Yankees when he was called up in September and in 7.1 IP he pitched very well posting a 1.23 ERA with 9 K’s. When CC Sabathia went down with an injury in the ALCS it was Heller who replaced him on the roster which had to give him some extra confidence heading into the offseason.

Now 28 years old, Heller hasn’t been able to stick with the big league club in limited stints since joining the organization in the Andrew Miller trade back in 2016. But the fact that he’s been able to survive the 40-man roster much over the past couple of offseason could be a sign that the Yankees think highly of him and expect him to contribute in 2020.

As for Holder, he’s a strong candidate to bounce back, but after pitching so poorly a season ago you wonder if he’ll ever get back to the level he pitched at in 2018. I’d bet no, but that doesn’t mean he can’t become a solid option for the Yanks in middle relief if he makes the Opening Day roster.