GREG BIRD

Q: Let’s talk about some of your teammates. What is it like watching Gary Sanchez in the batter’s box? A: It’s impressive. I think it’s the one word I would start with. Gary’s come a long way in the last few years. I think what Gary doesn’t get enough credit for his catching. Gary’s always been able to hit, but his catching has come so far. He’s taken pride in that, and it’s really fun to watch him. Q: What impresses you about his hitting? A: He’s disciplined. He knows what he wants to do, and he can do a lot of different things and he can do ’em very well. Just his approach. ... I’ve always been intrigued at how free and easy he is, and how he still is able to get to a lot of different pitches. That’s always impressed me. He’s got really good balance and a good eye, and he just knows what he wants to do. Q: Aaron Judge? A: The thing that always jumps out to people is just how strong he is. As far as power goes, I think you could put him with anyone. But Judgie’s smart, like I think Judgie’s capable of making the adjustments that he needs to make. Q: Describe pitcher Luis Severino. A: I think he knows he needs to make some adjustments, but I think for Sevy what’s always been important is his fastball command. When I’ve seen him at his best, he commanded his fastball, so I think he knows that, and he’s working on that. Q: Describe shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres. A: I got to play with G out in the Fall League. Everything I’d heard he was a good player, but I heard he was smart, mature and had a good head on his shoulders, and that was true for me. That’s what I saw. Q: Shortstop prospect Tyler Wade. A: I’ve come up with Wade a little bit, I got to play with him in the Fall League, and he’s a gamer, and someone that I enjoy spending time with and kind of passing on what I learned from those other guys to him. Q: When you’re at first base, what is it like watching Aroldis Chapman? A: (Laugh) It’s fun! Same thing as Gary, just fun to watch. You don’t see many guys throwing the ball upper 90s, 100 on a consistent basis. He’s an imposing figure on that mound too. Q: How much off a lloss iis DidiDidi Gregorius for the first month? A: Big loss. Obviously, his play on the field, but a great guy to have in the clubhouse. Hopefully he’ll still be around, but a big loss. You saw last year how far he’s come offensively and defensively. I mean, he just turned into a great player like we thought he would. We’ll welcome him back as soon as he wants to get back. Q: How do you hope or expect to be a better player than you were when Yankees fans last saw you? A: ’Cause physically, I’m healthy, and mentally I don’t have to worry about being healthy. Q: What drives you? A: Being a part of a winning team. I want to win the World Series andd bbe ththe bbestt tteam ththere iis. That’s what it’s about. I’ve always said for me it’s maximizing my potential, become the best player I can, however I can. If everyone does that, good things happen, and it’s kind of a contagious mentality, so I think that’s what’ll make us good. Q: What was your favorite Yankees moments in 2015? A: Getting into that wildcard game [a 3-0 loss to the Astros]. Obviously we wanted to go farther, but just the atmosphere surrounding that was great. I think it’s all about the playoffs and just getting ththatt littllittle ttastet iin ’15 was bibig ffor me, and I want more of it. Q: What did you miss most about the game when you were out last year, after shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear? A: I’ve really enjoyed being back with everyone and being a part of a team and competing. Obviously there’s not much competing in rehab, and that was hard. Q: There were days that you sulked. A: Rehab’s tough, I mean, there’s days where rehab sucks, and my point there was just there’s ups and downs, you know? Everyone has bad days and especially rehab, they get tough. But there’s two ways you can look at it: You can get better because of it, or you can get worse, you can sulk on it. But at the end of it all, I just kept telling myself, “It’s gonna be better. It’s gonna be better. You just gotta keep working, keep your head down, keep working,” and I

feel great now. Q: Did you call anybody for advice about how to handle it? A: My parents are always there to support me no matter what, and they were there for me. I felt like there were times where I didn’t want to talk and other times where I did. But I got a good support system, my close friends and my parents and family, so they were always there for me when I needed them. Q: What was the low point? A: I mean, I think having surgery is probably the low point. I never had surgery before, so completely new, something I’d never experienced. ... [And] just not being with the team throughout the summer, I mean, not being able to play ... just being away. Q: Which guys have the prettiest swings in baseball? A: When I was in high school I was a catcher, and I was lefthanded and I was tall, so I really enjoyed watching Joe Mauer. That was a big one for me. Now, there’s so many. I like watching Miggy [Miguel Cabrera] hit. I liked watching Alex [Rodriguez] hit a lot. I enjoyed watching Carlos [Beltran] hit. I don’t know, there’s a lot of guys. Q: What was it like playing in the Subway Series? A: That was cool. It’s funny, I rode on that train over there [to Citi Field]. It’s so cool playing in New York, let alone playing another team from New York, just the atmosphere and that is exciting. I haven’t played them at home yet, but just a cool little crosstown rivalry really. Q: How good can this Yankees team be? A: I think really good. We have a really good group. We get along well together. So far in spring we’ve looked good. ... I’m not in the business of predicting really, but I think we can be really good. Q: Do you think this is a playoff team? A: I always think we have a chance to make the playoffs. I think we have a good enough team to make the playoffs. Q: Personal goals? A: To help the team win. Be a part of a winning team. Being healthy and be a part of it. I’ve put in a lot of work to get to this point, so I’m here to help however I can, and I want to be a part of it, I want to help us win. Q: Any numbers in mind? A: No. Q: How are you going to react to being one of New York’s most eligible bachelors? A: (Laugh) I don’t know, we’ll figure that out. Right now I’m focused on baseball.