New York counts on youth
Sanchez, Bird put up big numbers in exhibition games.
TAMPA — Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird are providing hope that the New York Yankees can compete for the playoffs even during a season in which they’re leaning toward a youth movement.
The pair of 24-year- old sluggers is putting up big n u m b e r s i n e x h i b i t i o n games, both hitting well over .300 with three homers apiece.
Boosted by the young Yankees, it’s a positive sign as New York moves forward with its plan that combines the small-market philosophy of stocking a farm system with the big-money abilit y to fill holes by signing free agents.
“Now the biggest challenge lies ahead,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said. “Some of them already proved their worth last year but haven’t played a full season yet. It feels like it’s the first time in a number of years that we’ve been in this position. It’s exciting.”
Sanchez was called up Aug. 3 last season to catch, and he put together a spectacular final two months. Despite playing in just 53 games, he ended up tied for the fourthmost homers ever by a Yankees rookie with 20 and was second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
“I don’t feel any pressure,” Sanchez said through a translator. “My mentality is to go out there and do what I do. I’m working hard to get better, offensively and defensively.”
Bird went deep 11 times over 46 games in 2015, but the first baseman missed all of last season due to right shoulder surgery.
Another 24-year old, Aaron Judge, is a top contender to win the right field job.
“It’s a little different,” said outfielder Brett Gardner, now the longest-tenured Yankees player. “We’ve got a lot of youth in the room, a lot of young exciting players. It’s up to me and the veteran guys to help these young guys feel comfortable and help them be successful.”
T h e Ya n ke e s ’ dy n a s t y — four World Series titles from 1996-2000 — had similar roots.
Home-grown talent like Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams were the championship nucleus.
“To s e e t he youth, i t ’s exciting,” said Pettitte, a Yankees’ guest spring training coach. “It’s a good shot in the arm for the organization. It will be interesting to see how it all comes along and progress. Hopefully a handful of these guys will be the core group of guys over the next 10 or 15 years in this organization. That would be special to see.”
After slipping out of contention last summer, the Yankees were sellers at the trade deadline.
Out in trades were relieve r s A n d r e w M i l l e r a n d Aroldis Chapman.
In c ame prospec ts like infielder Gleyber Torres, pitcher Justus Sheffield and outfielders Clint Frazier and Billy McKinney. All could be in the next wave of youngs t e r s t h a t a l s o i n c l u d e s pitcher James Kaprielian, possibly a bridge and portal to a big future.
Plus, the Yankees signed Chapman as a free agent.
“We’ve got a chance to have a real young club at the major league level in the coming years here and at the same time compete for championships,” Yankees vice president of player development Gary Denbo said. We’re looking forward to watching that.”
But there are bumps in the road.
The Yankees are giving Lui s S ever i no, 2 3, ever y c h a n c e t o c l a i m a r o t a - tion spot behind Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Mic hael P i neda, but t he results have been mixed.
Severino struggled with fastball command Wednesday, needing 51 pitches to get through two innings against Team Canada.
“It was not good,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “Fastball command is really, really important.”
Sitting by his locker in the Washington Nationals‘ clubhouse on Thursday morning, Ryan Zimmerman, wearing his customary “Steak Taters ‘Murica” T-shirt, described the most substantial tangible impact the club’s relocation to The Ballpark of the West Palm Beaches for spring training has made on his preparation for the season.
He explained that having the Houston Astros share the facility and two teams so close in Jupiter allows him to play in more Grapefruit League games without the cost of long drives, a price veterans like him aren’t enthusiastic about paying. The Nationals’ farthest trip over the next two-plus weeks, the 32-year-old first baseman happily pointed out, will be a couple of 45-minute hops to Port St. Lucie. That’s nothing compared to the travel headaches the Nationals endured in Viera.
That, Zimmerman said, is the reason going 0-for-10 with a walk in his first five games this spring — one week longer than usual because of the World Baseball Classic — produces a shoulder shrug, even if he’s traditionally put up gaudy numbers in exhibition play. The first week to 10 days of games this year, he said, is to round into shape and focus on swinging at strikes. There’s plenty of time to iron out the kinks, to get his high leg kick’s timing down and to incorporate the small tweaks to heighten his launch angle — too much if you ask him.
“It’s just getting used to just going through your routine every day without feeling like crap, like you got run over,” said Zimmerman, who later played first base and went 0-for-1 with a walk in the Nationals’ 2-2 tie with the Marlins. “So that’s kind of where I’m at right now. Going 0-for-10, it doesn’t matter. It’s not fun on March 9 or July 9, but I think the most important thing this early in the spring is just to make sure you set a good base.”
All Zimmerman has to do is look at his own production in 2016 for proof that spring training stat lines are, at best, faulty indicators.
He stumbled from the outset when games started counting, batting .219 through April after hitting .333 with a 1.016 OPS and four home runs in 14 Grapefruit League games. He went on to bat .218 with a .642 on-base-plusslugging percentage in 115 games, a number cut short by two disabled list stints but still higher than the previous two injury-riddled years.
The batting average ranked 173rd among 175 hitters with at least 450 plate appearances. The OPS was 168th. Statistics indicated Zimmerman’s average exit velocity was one of the highest in baseball, but a poor launch angle rendered that trendy statistic irrelevant and was another sour ingredient in the worst season of the original National’s major league career.
Zimmerman said he reported to camp healthy and has remained that way for the first time in a while. The Nationals are adamant that Zimmerman, who has three years and $46 million remaining on his contract, will remain the club’s starting first baseman in 2017, though they signed veteran Adam Lind for some possible insurance.
“This is a big year for Ryan, a big year for us,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s started the year healthy for the first time in a couple years, which is a big plus.”
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