New York Yankees Might Have To Wait Until 2020 For First-Base Support

New York Yankees, Greg Bird
Feb 23, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird (33) throws at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees will enter the 2019 season with two first-baseman on the roster, both of which have had inconsistent careers but represent optimism.

The New York Yankees might have stuck with Greg Bird for too long:

Greg Bird has been general manager Brian Cashman’s passion project, but a troublesome foot injury has derailed his career and damaged his hitting stats significantly. In 2018, Bird hit .199. His 2017 season wasn’t any better as he finished with a BA of .190 on 147 at-bats. He will return for a third-season with the Bombers in hopes of improving his hitting abilities and offering more value to the starting unit.

The expected starter will be Luke Voit, who was phenomenal for the Yankees last season smacking 14 home-runs in 39 games. He finished with an impressive .333 batting average in Pinstripes. The allure and atmosphere of New York surely helped the first-baseman achieve career milestones.

Voit to be the regular season starter in 2019:

Voit certainly earned the first-crack at the starting job for 2019, despite earning two errors (2018) and being a less effective defenseman. His defense isn’t up to par with what the Yankees expect, as Bird represents the better option. Unfortunately, they can’t mesh both Voit’s hitting and Bird’s fielding together.

If these options don’t work this season the Yanks might look to 2020 free agent Mitch Moreland next season – yes, this is far down the line and premature, but something the Bombers might have issues with in the season ahead.

Moreland is a solid hitter with a career BA of .251 and in 2018 – .245. He did have two errors at first last season but a much larger sample size than Voit or Bird. He played in 116 games at first compared to Voit’s 32 and Bird’s 69. Moreland represents a veteran leader and an exceptional defender with quality hitting ability. He would be a fantastic target for the Yankees next offseason in the unfortunate circumstance that neither Bird or Voit can improve to the point of job security.