Greg Bird is the most important Yankee you are not talking about

Greg Bird will be hitting in the middle of the Yankees lineup this season, and he may just be their most important bat not being talked about.

On December 11, the New York Yankees swung a trade with the Miami Marlins for Giancarlo Stanton. With that trade, the Yankees picked up a guy who not only led the National League in home runs and runs batted in during the 2017 campaign but was also named the league’s Most Valuable Player.

In the history of baseball, only one other player was traded after hitting 50 home runs in a season, with the first being Greg Vaughn. Stanton’s 59 home runs were the most of any player in Major League Baseball, as he beat the second-place finisher by seven homers.

The Yankees were built on power hitting first baseman, and Bird can be the next in line.

That second place finisher was Aaron Judge, who just happens to be Stanton’s new teammate. Judge went from barely making the team out of spring training, to the face of baseball, as he blasted an incredible rookie record of 52 home runs during his first full season in the Bronx.

While droves of fans will come out to Yankee Stadium this season to see those two blast home runs into the stands, there is another young stud who may not be getting enough attention at this point. That player is Greg Bird, whose left-handed swing was made for Yankee Stadium, and has the potential to put at least 30 balls into the stands this season.

The tandem of Judge and Stanton will certainly be something to see, and both are right-handed batters. If Bird can be the player he was towards the end of last season, it is not inconceivable that new manager Aaron Boone puts him in between those two towering men, causing fits for opposing pitchers.

This is what Boone had to say to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:

"“I think he’s an impact, middle of the order hitter on a championship caliber team. I think when we see him healthy and at his best, I think he’s a guy that will be a real option to hit in the middle of our order, and if we desire to split up our righties I think he’s a guy that can do that – and justifiably, for a long time.”"

In 2015, Bird was brought up to the big leagues as a 22-year old, and proceed to hit 11 home runs in only 46 games. A torn labrum would rob him of his 2016 season, but he was able to come back in time to play in the Arizona Fall League.

In spring training of 2017, Bird was the best hitter on the Yankees, as he hit .451 with eight home runs in 23 games. Unfortunately, the young slugger injured his ankle towards the end of spring, and it really hampered him to start the season. The injury got so bad that he was placed on the disabled list and missed nearly the entire campaign.

Bird would reappear in the Bronx in August, showing that classic left-handed power that should make him a fan favorite in the Big City. He played in 14 regular season games to end the year, blasting six home runs while hitting close to .300. The 25-year old would continue his hot hitting the playoffs, serving as a legitimate power threat from the left side.

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Last season, shortstop Didi Gregorius had the left-handed power for the Yankees, as he set a franchise record for home runs by a shortstop with 25. The organization is counting on Bird to carry that torch this season, and if he can stay off the disabled list, he will be just as important to this team as any other player wearing the pinstripes.

The Yankees were built on power hitting first baseman, and Bird can be the next in line.