From 1996-2014, Derek Jeter ruled the Yankees infield while others stepped in and out over the years to fill the other positions. Didi Gregorius is now the the shortstop for the future and has a season under his belt, while veteran gold glover Chase Headley holds down fort at the hot corner. But, 2016 could be a whole lot sweeter for the Bronx Bombers in the infield, as Starlin Castro was brought over in a trade during the offseason.
The former Cub led the NL in hits as an all-star at 21-years-old in 2011. As the Cubs shortstop, Castro has managed to play in at least 151 games every year since 2011 aside from the 2014 campaign. Starlin moved over to play 2nd base for most of the second half in 2015 because of the rising talent in Addisson Russell. While he is a good all around hitter (.281 AVG, .404 SLG), his glove ha struggled despite a strong arm. However, when he moved to second base during the second half of 2015, his defense improved. Moving over to the AL to play second base for the Yankees with two brilliant gloves to his right, Starlin Castro could be a big help to make the Yankees’ infield lethal. However, other than Castro, Gregorius and Headley, first base may be a bit of a question mark.
Recently, top 1st base prospect, Greg Bird, was announced injured for the entire 2016 season. Bird slugged .529 with 11 homers in a short stint in 2015 as a rookie. Being under arbitration for a couple more years, he is supposed to be the future at first since Mark Texeira becomes a free agent at the conclusion of 2016. However, Texeira is an injury prone player (hasn’t played in more than 123 games/season since 2011). But, when Tex is healthy he will easily hit over 20 homers and play gold glove caliber defense at 1st. Despite the risk at first base, the Yankees have players at 3rd, short, and 2nd who will all play at least 150 games each, but because Gregorius and Headley have inconsistent bats, Castro will counter them. Overall, contingent on playing consistently, this Yankees infield could rule the AL and lead them to the playoffs.
