Despite the New York Yankees losing their first game of spring training to the Boston Red Sox, we saw several very exciting actions that indicated growth for some struggling players. The beginning of the game saw the Yanks step out to a 3-0 lead early on before the Sox picked up their offensive production and took a 6-3 lead.
Five takeaways we saw from the New York Yankees’ performance:
1.) Gleyber Torres starts out strong:
In just the first inning and second batter of the day, Gleyer Torres stepped up to the plate with a 1-2 count. He caught a hanging curveball dropping into the zone for a dead-center home run, clearing the fence and seeing the center-fielder sit back and watch as it soared over his head.
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Torres finished 2018 with a .271 batting average and 24 homers. He performed well in the first half of the season but fell off toward the end. It could have been due to fatigue after a long season rotating between second base and shortstop. It was great to see Torres start off the game with a long-ball, and it could be foreshadowing a stellar season for the young phenom.
Moving forward, I expect Torres to feature at second base for a majority of the season, but also spend time at SS with Didi Gregorius rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
2.) Greg Bird looks sharp:
One of the biggest position battles this year will feature first baseman Greg Bird and Luke Voit. It’s expected that the latter option will earn the start at the beginning of the season after finishing 2018 with a .333 batting average.
Bird finished his first game of 2019 with two hits in two at-bats — one of which was a long ball off the center field wall and the other an infield single. His hitting was smooth and efficient – he seemed far more comfortable at the plate and was hitting with confidence and gusto.
It seems as if Bird is finally back to 100% health.
3.) Clint Frazier gets first hit but looks shaky at the plate:
It’s only fair we give Frazier the benefit of the doubt as he regains his form at the professional level. In his first at-bat of the day, he looped a single into center field but followed that up with a strikeout and a fly out to right field. His legendary bat speed seemed to be there and he made some nice contact, but I would love to see him improve his location.
Frazier looked rusty at the plate, but overall there is a ton of potential there to be tapped.
4.) Tyler Wade has a successful day:
Yankees utility man Tyler Wade put up a decent day in the first Grapefruit League game of spring training. He slapped a double to deep right and earned a run after stealing third and scoring on a Lipka double to center field. It was nice to see him start off strong as he might be asked this season to act as a rotational/depth piece.
5.) McBroom goes deep and provides a reason for optimism:
The Yankees have themselves a few questions marks at first base, so why not throw another one into the mix. Ryan McBroom started off spring training going 1-for-2 at the plate with a solo home run to left field. He looked solid despite having a few defensive mishaps that weren’t entirely his fault.
A throw from second-baseman Thairo Estrada bounced in the dirt in front of McBroom causing him to drop an easy out. I wouldn’t count that against the first baseman but rather Estrada. Overall, I like what McBroom showed in his limited time, I’m intrigued by his skill set and want to see more of him this spring.