Coming into their first season in about two decades without the leader and face of the franchise, the Yankees held what they called a “Captain’s Camp” for their top prospects back in February. The aim of the camp was to teach players good character, accountability and how to respect the game.
“Over the course of the camp, we’ve had people come in and speak to players and teach them about the qualities I think championship players need to have,” said Gary Denbo, who’s now the vice president of baseball operations for the Yankees. Denbo refused to comment on which prospects were invited to the camp, but if the past week or so has been any indication, you can bet Greg Bird was there and took notes.
Moments after Wednesday’s game, a game that Bird single-handedly won with two 2-run home runs, he was quick to deflect attention away from himself and give all the credit to Carlos Beltran. Beltran was able to get on base ahead of Bird, with two outs, allowing him the opportunity to hit those home runs.
“They were just great at-bats,” Bird said. “Whenever you’ve got a guy up there that’s making the pitcher work, draws a walk, gets on base, it just puts more pressure on them. And luckily enough, (Ervin Santana) made a mistake after and I was able to capitalize on that. But hats off to (Beltran) for those great at-bats in front of me. Those were terrific at-bats.”
On the field, YES reporter Meredith Marakovits asked Bird what he’d remember most about the game, probably expecting him to talk about the feeling of running around the bases after his first home run. Instead, Bird said the most important thing was that the team won the game.
Comments like this, especially from rookies, don’t go unnoticed in the clubhouse. For veteran Chase Headley, it feels as if Bird is right where he belongs. “You feel like he’s been here for six months already. The guy is very calm. He has a great presence about him and fits in. He’s a great kid.”
Manager Joe Girardi credits some of Bird’s calmness and ability to slow things down, to his genes. “He’s got a slow heartbeat… I think it’s in his DNA, especially at that age. You see some players but you don’t see a ton of players. A lot of players have to learn how to slow the game down,” Girardi said after Wednesday’s game.
In a new era of Yankees baseball, when the organization is in need of a new core of homegrown players, Bird looks like a keeper. He’s been molded, shaped and indoctrinated into the Yankee way ever since he was drafted out of high school in 2011. It seems as if the organization has found itself again with regards to developing prospects. They haven’t hesitated to bring the kids up this year, and they all seem like high-character guys. For the first time in a long time, we’ve seen some prospects that look like they belong.
For Bird, he looks and sounds like a Yankee. And he’s only 22.
