New York Yankees: Greg Bird vs. Chris Carter
The Yankees are perhaps MLB’s most interesting team. Are they a rebuilding team? The emergence of players like Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge would certainly suggest they are. But what kind of rebuilding team signs Aroldis Chapman and Matt Holliday in the same offseason?
How this battle goes will go a long way in determining what kind of team New York will be in 2017. Or at least, it will tell us how the Bronx Bombers see themselves.
Carter is perhaps this generation’s version of Adam Dunn. You have to put up with a lot of strikeouts and be okay with someone who doesn’t get on base very often. But at the same time, Carter has the power to rectify a dismal 0-for-4 game with a 450-foot walkoff homer. He’s flawed, but Carter is a safe bet.
If New York sees itself as a contender and doesn’t want to gamble, Carter is the guy.
But if the Yankees see themselves on the fringe of contention or worse, Bird is the better play. He missed all of 2016 with an injury and has only 157 at-bats to his name. But in those at-bats, he hit an impressive 11 home runs. Better yet, he slashed at a respectable .261/.343/.529.
Of course, Bird also brings the dreaded small sample size. That makes him more of a gamble. He has the higher ceiling but also the lower (or at least less predictable) floor.
If one player vastly outperforms the other, it’s a no-brainer. But if the two have comparable springs, the Yankees decision here will tell a lot about what kind of team New York thinks it will have.