With a plethora of outfield options for the New York Yankees, deciding who will be on the starting roster come opening day will likely be difficult. Of course, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks will likely retain their usual roles in right and center field, but left field is a big question mark.
Left field options range from Jacoby Ellsbury, to Brett Gardner, to Clint Frazier. All three hold their own level of value, with Gardner presenting a veteran role that has solid defensive abilities but has struggled offensively the past two seasons. Ellsbury is the biggest question mark of all, being that he missed all of 2018 due to injury and hasn’t shown a high-quality level of play since 2014.
Instilling faith in a younger option:
Personally, I am keen on Frazier, who’s young and hungry. His solid defense and world-class bat speed make him an enticing option to be the starting left fielder.
Coming off an injury, Clint will likely require a few months to adapt to the speed and power of the MLB, especially with his lack of experience at the professional level.
How about Giancarlo Stanton?
Ideally, Stanton will fill the designated hitter spot, keeping him healthy and utilizing his abilities at the plate. Stanton can play a rotational piece in the outfield to provide rest for the starting defenders.
Additionally, Stanton can play right or left field, which shouldn’t rule him out as a potential starter. An outfield consisting of Judge, Hicks, and Stanton isn’t bad by any means. Rushing Frazier into a starting role might be too much for the young player.
As the season progresses, I would like to see the Yankees rotate players in the outfield, as keeping everybody healthy for an expected playoff run is essential.
How would you utilize the talent in the outfield? Comment below!