PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- “Skated to another tie!”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone was in high spirits after the Yankees closed their Grapefruit League schedule with a 6-6 tie against the Mets at Clover Park. Boone joked that the team may have set a new record for Spring Training ties, having reached an impasse in four of their past 12 contests.
But Boone obviously isn't fazed by the string of unfavorable outcomes. He knows the group has bigger fish to fry -- first, the Marlins in an exhibition game at loanDepot park on Tuesday, then chasing the all-elusive World Series ring that has evaded New York since 2009.
Still, each game carries importance for last year’s World Series runners-up, especially for the plethora of players vying for roster contention as Opening Day draws near.
So, how are things stacking up for those hard-working hopefuls?
The inside scoop on the infield
The top of the Yankees’ infield depth chart is all but set -- rife with a slew of names full of starpower. You know them: Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe. But what about the bottom portion?
Ben Rice looks like a shoe-in, having wowed fans and staff alike with an impressive offseason bulk that has him hammering baseballs this spring.
“He’s killing the ball,” Boone said of Rice's recent surge.
Listed as an infielder, Rice will likely slot in at DH given Giancarlo Stanton’s absence from the lineup.
Meanwhile, with Oswaldo Cabrera likely to be the club's starting third baseman, that leaves Oswald Peraza and Pablo Reyes vying for the remaining spots. While Boone remained vague about his inklings, both names were in the Yankees’ starting lineup Monday afternoon in what could have been a final opportunity to impress.
Reyes just keeps on hitting, going 3-for-3 with a home run to raise his spring average to .326 with a .488 slugging percentage. The 31-year-old, who played with five teams before signing with New York in November, has drawn Boone’s praise for his plate approach and power. And he showed off his potential for the latter with a second-inning big fly off of A.J. Minter.
“Love it,” Boone said regarding Reyes’ play. “Love how he’s looked all spring. He had a couple of games there where he didn’t swing it great, but around that, it’s been a lot of really good at-bats. There’s life in the bat. … He’s moved around, shown his defensive versatility, too. He’s done a great job.”
The Yankees have been toying with Reyes in the outfield as well, including starting Monday's game in right field before shifting to third base.
Peraza, meanwhile, went 0-for-2 with a walk while playing solid defense at shortstop.
“A lot [of the roster] we're pretty much settled on,” Boone said before the game. “You're just waiting on, industry-wise, things can pop up -- last-minute releases, opt-outs, trades, things like that.”
How’d it go for 'Stro'?
Marcus Stroman gave up a couple of homers on the bump in his final Spring Training tuneup before the regular season. Despite the mistakes, he maintained the signature swagger and poise that made him a fan-favorite during his Toronto tenure.
The slip-ups came on a pair of offspeed pitches that hung in the zone too long, the latter of which was belted over the right-field wall by Pete Alonso with a 107.7 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.
“He took a really good swing on a slider, and hit it out to right,” Stroman said. “Pete’s incredibly strong; that guy’s a great hitter.”
Stroman went on to finish with four strikeouts while allowing just those two runs over 3 2/3 innings.
“I don’t care; I wash it right away,” he said on bouncing back from mistakes. “Good inning, bad inning, wash. … I stay present.”
And he got a chance to present the dexterity that afforded him a Gold Glove Award in 2017, making a nifty barehanded play on a bunt.
“Don’t bunt on me," he joked afterward.
Bullseye on the bullpen
The Yankees have made mass efforts to shore their bullpen, a trouble area at times over the past few seasons.
They signed lefty sidearmer Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year deal on Monday, joining a bullpen that already featured the major offseason addition of Devin Williams.
"Really good track record," Boone said of Yarbrough. "Good experience, the ability to give you length [or] also get shorter if he has to. So, I feel like he can fulfill a lot of roles, and kind of protects us in a lot of ways, especially early on.”
Williams, meanwhile, tossed a scoreless inning Monday to finish his Grapefruit League slate with a 2.25 ERA and five strikeouts over four innings.
“Obviously, he's one of the game’s great closers," Boone said. "So to be able to add him to the mix, we're excited to see what he’s going to do for us."
