THE INFIELD IS CROWDED SO IT'S SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Source: New York Post

It’s safe to say that the Yankees outfield has it on lock. Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Giancarlo Stanton will definitively guard the outfield with ease. But what about the guys who are closer to the action or at least home plate?

The Yankees had a pretty busy offseason and added quite a few new infield players. Who’s actually going to be the lucky few to play? Since we don’t have Didi Gregorius as short stop to play until June, the Yanks brought in Troy Tulowitzki. If he stays healthy and plays well, will Gregorious have to fight for his position back? A battle may also ensue over who’s on first? Greg Bird wasn’t quite working out with the team last season, but new edition Luke Voit just might.

"Luke Voit has earned the right to be that guy," Aaron Boone said. "It's impossible denying the impact he had, just how consistent he was for us really the final couple of months and when we had some key guys out," reports ESPN.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Another addition to look out for is DJ LeMahieu, three-time Gold Glove second baseman. Although, I believe Gleyber Torres will start, LeMahieu can definitely take over if needed or platoon at third based with Miguel Andujar.

Like the Yankees, the Mets have definitely stocked up on infielders as well. Robinson Cano will definitely be playing second base on Opening Day. But then there’s Peter Alonso, Jed Lowrie, Jeff McNeil...ummm we’re starting to run out of positions here. It does seem like the Mets will be utilizing McNeil’s talents in the outfield.

“A majority of McNeil’s playing time is going to come in the outfield,” said Mets manager Mickey Callaway “We are going to want to get him as comfortable as possible out there so he can concentrate on those at-bats when he’s up at the plate and we want to see him out there,” reports Forbes.

Lowrie could be on third, giving Todd Frazier a backup role. Frazier could get some play time at first, but will have to fight for it with Alonso, Dominic Smith, and J.D. Davis.

The first month or two of the season, I think we will definitely see these players shifted around a lot to see who will fit best where. 

Figuring out which players will make up the Yankees and Mets infields is going to be crucial for the 2019 season. A solid group of guys that can stay healthy and make the least amount of errors, is really going to allow the teams to win as much as possible. It will be up to these guys to show they are ready to work hard and get as much playing time as they can.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke