Bench play could be a strength for the 2017 New York Yankees
Tyler Austin
If Tyler Austin doesn’t snag a starting job this spring, perhaps it’s a good thing because he’s just too valuable to fasten into one position.
The ability to DH, play first, right field, left field and even some third base will prove to be beneficial for Bird (who’s recovering from shoulder surgery) Aaron Judge (who still needs adjustments), Sanchez and more.
Not to mention the production you may see from him.
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The 25-year old smacked five home runs in 31 games following a promotion on August 13, 2016, a 26 home run total when proportioned to 162 games.
In addition to that, all of his homers were driven the opposite field while he also demonstrated a superb clutch gene (highest FanGraphs clutch rating among Yankees hitters) and went 6-for-12 (.500) with two home runs over his last five games.
With Austin, you’ll get a guy who could not only produce and play a ton of positions around the diamond, but who’s handy for a late-game, pinch-hit situation.
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Christian Kouroupakis covers the New York Yankees and is the Editorial Director for ESNY. Interact with him and view his daily work by “liking” his facebook page and follow him on Twitter. All statistics are courtesy of Baseball Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Don’t hesitate to shoot him an email with any questions, criticisms, or concerns.
