Greg Bird or Luke Voit?
“My gut is we’re not carrying both Bird and Voit on the club." That was the quote in yesterday's Daily News from New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. The Yankees, like all teams in March have a lot of questions to answer but this one has arm chair GM's everywhere at odds.
Greg Bird's Spring to this point:
.389 with a 1.222 OPS.
Luke Voit's Spring to this point:
.286 with a 1.126 OPS.
Both are contributing a fairly high level here in the spring for what it's worth. Both have had short, promising, productive runs with the Yankees in the regular season. Bird is a lefty, Voit is a righty, Bird is solid defensively and Voit is not.
Greg Bird has postseason heroics on his resume already. Voit all but disappeared in the postseason last year. Greg Bird has been injured a lot in his short career, Voit has not. Voit tore the cover off the ball the second half of last year and Bird wasn't there because Voit was brought in to take his place.
Both men, to their credit showed up to Spring Training weeks early to prepare. Greg Bird put on twenty pounds of muscle. Luke Voit is a walking muscle with no undershirt.
All things being equal and I think they are, I'll take Greg Bird. Bird is a lefty in Yankee Stadium on a team that is unreasonably "righty." Bird's natural gifts, swing and promise have been touted for years. I think he deserves this one last chance to be the player everyone agrees he can be. Plus and this is a HUGE plus. Greg Bird did this:
This is ice in the veins. Game 3 ALDS 2017, he takes Andrew Miller into the stands in right. If we can agree that the Yankees are a post season team, I want this, this is my guy and I am going down with the ship if I have to.
Plus, doesn't Luke Voit remind you of someone? No, not "Bam Bam." How bout Shane Spencer?
Shane was fun, while he lasted but he didn't last. If Voit doesn't get the job he can enter strong man competitions and WOW the crowds at State Fair's with his freakish strength.
Career numbers
Bird - 576 at bats, 31 Hr's, 97 RBI's, .214 Batting Average, OBP of .302
Voit - 257 at bats, 19 HR's, 54 RBI's, .288 Batting Average, OBP of .358