BASEBALL!

Greg launches pair of dingers on day Yanks name him starter

TAMPA — A smooth and easy swing. Seemingly effortless power. Slick play in the field, too.

Greg Bird’s splendid spring continued on Wednesday in Clearwater — and if he keeps this up, his 2017 season could be special.

On the same day Joe Girardi did the inevitable, publicly naming Bird his starting first baseman, the 24-year-old launched two more home runs and collected five RBIs as the Yankees beat the Phillies 7-3 in Grapefruit League play.

“Birdie’s been special this spring,” said Chase Headley, who also homered. “He’s got a chance to be a really good player. He’s a force right now. He’s doing it against good pitchers. It’s not like he’s doing it against No. 97.”

On Wednesday, Bird took Phillies starter Vince Velasquez yard twice — including a two-run homer in the fourth inning and a three-run shot in the sixth.

During the spring, Bird, who missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury, has a .439 batting average, six homers and 13 extra-base hits. He also had a two-homer game on Feb. 28 against the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

“It’s fun to be back playing,” Bird said. “I know I keep saying that, but I feel good playing and then when I go home and the next day. I didn’t have that for a long time, so I’m just enjoying it.”

In 2015, Bird posted 11 homers and an .871 OPS in 157 at-bats. But Headley thinks he’s an even better player now, an assessment Bird agrees with.

“I think so. I feel better. I do. I’ll be honest,” Bird said. “I think physically, but I think mentally too. I think rehab you can kind of go two ways with it. It was tough and then there were days obviously where I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be playing. But if you make something positive out of it, it can help you. I didn’t get the at-bats last year or the reps, but I feel like I’m ready because of it.”

Bird’s ascension as a hitter comes from experience and health.

“I feel like toward the end of 2014 I was kind of learning how to use my lower half better and really learning how to drive the ball to right-center,” he said. “Fast forward a little bit. I felt good, but it kind of tapered off and I was always trying to find it again. I couldn’t feel it, so I had to retool my game a little bit and I think in-part it was because of the shoulder, dealing with that. So now that I’ve fixed that and done the rehab and feel better because of it, I think it helps.”

This offseason, Bird was able to concentrate on preparing for the upcoming season instead of rehabbing. He felt like his swing was in a good place, much better than it was during the Arizona Fall League, when he realized he needed to strengthen his upper back to become more durable. It certainly has been. So much for a potential competition with Chris Carter, who is hitting .108 this spring. So much for any concerns about whether Bird would be able to rediscover his past form.

“He’s been really good,” Girardi said before the game. “Maybe better than what I expected knowing that he sat out a year and you worry about guy’s timing. It hasn’t seemed to affect him.”

Bird has set the bar pretty high. You want to have realistic expectations for a guy who has yet to play a full season in the majors. But it’s easy to envision him being an AL AllStar the way he’s playing right now.

“The talent’s there, obviously, and he’s proving that to everybody during this spring training,” Masahiro Tanaka said. “If he’s healthy throughout the season then he’s going to be a great asset for the New York Yankees.”