TAMPA — It feels different now.
When Yankees first baseman Greg Bird fires a throw to second base, or even while long tossing with a teammate, there’s extra oomph. It’s familiar, but only like the face of a friend you haven’t seen or thought about in a while.
Greg Bird takes batting practice
“It feels like I have something behind the ball,” Bird said in the clubhouse at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Monday. “Not like I didn’t (before). But it’s nice to be able to go out and throw the ball.”
While much of the focus this spring will be on Bird’s bat, which produced big-time when the Yankees called on him as a rookie in 2015, it’s possible that his defense could be just as important.
Bird is hoping to replace Mark Teixeira, who just retired, as the team’s first baseman of the future. Teixeira hit plenty of homers and was a middle-of-the-order threat for years. But he was also perhaps one of the best defensive first baseman of his generation, routinely bailing infielders out with impressive catches and making smart and quick throws.
Check out this fun, all-kids Yankees lineup
Nobody will mistake Bird for Teixeira. But Bird believes the surgery he had to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder — which kept him out for all of 2016 — won’t just help him in the batter’s box, but in the field.
Bird said that while he played hurt in 2015, he didn’t hold back his throws.
“You just throw,” he said. “You just play. I’ve said it. Everyone’s dealing with something. That’s the challenge with us, is to figure out how to do well on the field at 7 o’clock. I guess the more knowledge that I have about the injury and stuff, when the structure of something is off, you figure out a way to make it work right.”
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.
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