Thursday, March 15, 2018

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS... YOU MUST ANSWER

Source: Mike McGinnis/Getty Images North America
Can you believe we are officially two weeks away from Opening Day? Time flies! Pretty soon the games will officially count and the Yankees will kick off their "Chase for 28" starting in Toronto. The time for some of these guys to impress and earn their way onto this team is running out. So who is going to make the cut?

Source: Mike McGinnis/Getty Images North America
Neil Walker: The Yankees just signed him on Monday and he is already getting some action. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and played six innings in a minor-league inter-squad game in Tampa. Walker's primary position is second base but he played four innings at third base and two innings at first base. A versatile player like Walker is exactly what the Yankees need. He can play most of the infield, switch-hit, doesn't strike out a ton, gets on base ad he can hit a few home runs too. The Yankees got a versatile player for a bargain price of $4 million dollars which is a fraction of what he is really worth. The Yankees get a lot of options and save a lot of money for upgrades later if needed. It sounds like the Yankees infield may be set with Walker, or is it?

Source: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images North America
Tyler Austin: They say when one door closes another opportunity opens and maybe that is true for Austin. If the Yankees hadn't signed Walker I would've said Austin would be the favorite for second base after the Yankees released Adam Lind. Adding Walker may complicate him getting onto the big league roster but he could still give the Yankees an interesting option to platoon at first base. Walker is a switch-hitter but is less effective against left handed pitchers. Austin could still offer another option to Aaron Boone if he wants to give Greg Bird a day off against a left hander. If Walker wasn't in camp right now I would say Austin probably earned a spot....but this is the second year the Yankees have signed a low cost veteran to compete for a bench spot at first base. Last year it was Chris Carter, this year will it be Walker?

Photo: Getty Images
Chance Adams: A lot has gone wrong for Adams this spring and he may have blown his chance. Wednesday's start against the Orioles was bad....really bad. He gave up two home runs and five runs in 1 2/3 innings and now has an 11.67 ERA. His command was all over the place and his velocity was down. It was just the outing where nothing went right and now scouts are doubting if he is even starter material now. After dominating High-A ball in 2016 he went on to continue pitching well in both Double-A and Triple-A last year. Scouts and baseball experts all expected to see Adams late last year but it never happened. We thought this was his year, and now scouts are wondering if he should actually pitch in a relief role instead. Despite all of his recent struggles the Yankees are still high on Adams but does he still fit into the rotation and if so when?

It will be interesting to see where all of these guys will end up as the last two weeks of spring play out. The Yankees are a team with a ton of talent and the possibilities for this team seem endless. There are a lot of guys out there fighting for a spot right now on this rebuilt and powerful team. There is minimal room for error now.

So if these guys want to be in the Bronx they better seize that opportunity now. It may not be there tomorrow. What do you think happens to these guys? Comment and tell us.



--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj






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