TAMPA — After poring over glowing reports, Hal Steinbrenner is ready for the highly touted prospects to show they can help the Yankees this coming season.
“This feels different. We have a great group of good young players, but they got to prove themselves,’’ Steinbrenner said Wednesday, after the initial spring training workout for pitchers and catchers at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “They have to prove themselves. A number of these guys, this is their big chance.’’
Steinbrenner didn’t need to name names. He was talking about Gary Sanchez for more than two months, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino and Greg Bird. How they handle key roles in the lineup could be the difference between chasing a postseason spot and a miserable summer in The Bronx.
“We’ve known about a lot of these guys for years and talked about them for years, but they were further down in the system,’’ Steinbrenner said outside the Yankees’ clubhouse as jackhammers rushed to complete the massive construction project throughout the ballpark named for his father. “Now they are at the big level and made it through. Now there are some big challenges ahead for some of them. Some of them have proven their worth last year but haven’t played a full season yet. There is a lot to be proven, but it feels great.’’
Steinbrenner understands there is a downside to dreaming about so many young players working for a team, especially in the demanding New York market.
While admitting the injection of youth into the club is exciting — a word he used often during an 8 ½-minute talk — Steinbrenner isn’t predicting Sanchez, Judge, Severino and Bird will be instant All-Stars and the Yankees will get to the postseason.
“It’s exciting. I can’t tell you how I’m going to feel two or three months from now if it turns out to be a disappointing season,’’ said Steinbrenner, whose club hasn’t participated in a postseason series since 2012 and played one October game since then, a loss to the Astros in the 2015 AL wild-card game. “But right now it’s very exciting.’’
While the youth movement — and there are possibly more talented prospects in the system not far away from the big leagues — Steinbrenner’s mantra remains the same.
“What hasn’t changed is that we’re always going to field a championship-caliber team, and that’s what we’re going to do. When money comes off the payroll, we’re going to do our best to put it back in the team,’’ Steinbrenner said. “As we did this year and next year, there’s a lot of money coming off the payroll.’’
Mark Teixeira’s $23.125 million vanished via retirement. Carlos Beltran’s $15 million left with an in-season trade to Houston, and Brian McCann was dealt in November to the Astros, saving the Yankees $23 million. Signing Aroldis Chapman to a five-year deal worth $86 million ($20 million this year), Matt Holliday to a one-year pact for $13 million and Chris Carter to a one-year contract for $3.5 million cost the Yankees a combined $102.5 million.
Following this season, CC Sabathia’s $25 million and Alex Rodriguez’s $21 million vanish. So could the final three years and $67 million belonging to Masahiro Tanaka if he opts out.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’’ Steinbrenner said of Tanaka potentially opting out.
As for the brigade of Sanchez, Judge, Severino and Bird, they have crossed the bridge into an arena where everybody gets rated on performance, regardless of their age or big league experience.
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