TAMPA — Joe Girardi understands the highs and lows of attempting to weave young players into a big league lineup.
However, entering his 10th year as the Yankees’ manager, Girardi also has a strong understanding of what wearing pinstripes entails regardless of a player’s age.
“The first goal is to win, we are here to win,’’ Girardi said Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where pitchers and catchers reported ahead of Wednesday’s initial spring training workout. “That’s why we are in spring training. That’s why you go out and sign an Aroldis Chapman and a Matt Holliday because we are here to win.’’
Girardi’s declaration comes despite the reality the Yankees are not expected — at least externally — to be American League contenders. Baseball Prospectus is forecasting a third-place AL East finish and an 82-80 record. FanGraphs is similarly predicting a third-place campaign, along with an 83-79 ledger. Even Girardi’s Tuesday press conference didn’t draw its usual media crowd, with the contingent somewhere between 30 percent and 50 percent smaller than in recent preseasons.
The manager’s confident comments aside, right fielder Aaron Judge and rotation candidate Luis Severino are large question marks. Expectations on Gary Sanchez will be far too high after the final two months of last season. First baseman Greg Bird missed all of last season due to right shoulder surgery, and Severino imploded as a starter.
Add in that there are two rotation spots open, Michael Pineda being counted on to be the second or third starter and Jacoby Ellsbury coming off a third straight disappointing season, and contending in the AL East, where the Red Sox are the favorite, could be very difficult.
In the middle of February, all 30 teams have hope the upcoming season will be a success. By late May and early June, reality will settle in for the likes of the Phillies, Brewers, Angels, Reds, A’s, White Sox, Twins, Braves and Padres.
As expected, Girardi was brimming with the belief the young talent and blend of veterans will deliver and compared the 2017 model to the 1996 world-champion Yankees.
“This spring is going to be different from a few different perspectives. The competition that we have, usually when with the Yankees you don’t have that much competition,’’ said Girardi, who listed first base, right field, the rotation and several spots in the bullpen as competition areas. “We haven’t been this young in a long time, maybe since 1996. But in that movement where there were a lot of young players and there was a lot of success. There were a lot of championships that followed. There was a great mixture of youth and veteran players and a significant impact. They came up as home-grown players and did wonderful things. I think it’s going to be a very exciting year.’’
It’s a pretty safe bet none of this young bunch is going to have Derek Jeter’s career. If Sanchez has Jorge Posada’s career, he will make a lot of money and be a borderline Hall of Famer. Severino isn’t going to be Andy Pettitte.
Yet the burden of carrying the Yankees to a playoff series for the first time since 2012 shouldn’t fall completely on the young. If they are asked to do that, it will be another dark October in the Bronx.
Ellsbury hasn’t looked like a $153 million player in the first three years with the Yankees and Chase Headley, who has two seasons and $26 million left on a four-year contract, experienced a miserable first two months in 2016. Brett Gardner is the longest-tenured Yankee. Veterans Holliday and Chris Carter are newcomers.
“I think it’s important that the production is spread around. If Ells plays the way he is capable, if Gardy plays the way he is capable and Headley plays the way he is capable,’’ Girardi said. “And even though they are younger players, they have been in the big leagues long enough, the [Starlin] Castros, the Didis [Gregorius], they play the way they are capable of because a lot of times the focus becomes the young players when the veterans aren’t doing their job. If the veterans do their job, it makes it easier on the young players.’’
Not to mention the manager, who is in the final leg of a four-year contract as well.