It may only be March, but Greg Bird has found a way to turn good news into great news.
After the Yankees officially announced that the 24-year-old will be the team’s Opening Day first baseman come April 2 in Tampa, Bird elected to show some exuberance at the plate Wednesday afternoon, crushing two home runs for five RBI in New York’s 7-3 win over the Phillies at Spectrum Field in Clearwater, Fl.
Bird (.439 BA) has now hit six home runs this spring, including six doubles, a triple, and 11 RBI. Wednesday was also the second time this March in which he’s posted a two-homer game.
“It’s fun to be back playing,” Bird told the New York Daily News. “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.”
While Bird was the fan favorite heading into training camp, the starting job wasn’t immediately handed to him. Rookie infielder Tyler Austin was expected to compete alongside Bird, but the 25-year-old suffered a broken foot in batting practice on Feb. 17, which took him out of the running. To fill the void, New York signed free agent slugger Chris Carter to a one-year deal, but the 30-year-old has hit just .108 in 37 at-bats this spring.
The bar has been set relatively high for Bird this season, despite that he missed all of 2016 with a shoulder injury. There a reasons for the Yankees to feel optimistic, however, as Bird has already showed production in the majors. While filling in for the injured Mark Teixeira in 2015, Bird hit .261 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI in 46 games.
“He’s been really good,” manager Joe Girardi said. “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.”
Below is footage of Bird’s two dingers from Wednesday, courtesy of MLB.com. His first one was a two-run shot, followed by a three-runner.
If you want to connect with Tom Hanslin, email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @tomhanslin.
