Yankees Getting Help from Two Youngsters

This was not what the New York Yankees had planned, but getting younger has helped them get better results.

If Michael Pineda did not feel his forearm twinge and veteran Mark Teixeira did not broke his leg, Luis Severino and Greg Bird would have just finished their Triple A season and joined New York as call ups for September.

The two would have just languished in the Yankees clubhouse receiving meal money and watching how the big boys played until someone in the organization gave them the green light for the big time. Included in that group would have been Slade Heathcott, Gary Sanchez, Jose Pirela and Robert Rafsnyder.

The youth movement in New York this season originated out of necessity. The Yankees needed a new first baseman and pitcher as quickly as possible.

Despite the tag of untouchable placed by Brian Cashman the GM to both Severino and Bird, he is the first to admit no one really knew if either of the two would adequately fill in for big time players they were asked to replace.

It turns out both were adequate and then some, in fact the two are now a vital part of the continued success of the Yankees.

Behind two Bird RBIs, one from a huge solo homer that landed on the third and final catwalk that rings the upper part of Tropicana Field, and 5 2/3 innings of strong work by Severino, New York beat Tampa Bay to remain three games behind Toronto.

The Yankees seemed to have gotten over the loss of Teixeira whose 31 homers and 79 runs batted in lead the team still even though he has been on the DL for two weeks.

However, in just 101 at bats, Bird has hit 7 homers, which is one in 14 at bats, while Teixeira was hitting one in 13 at bats.

Severino secured a permanent place in the New York rotation in just eight starts in the majors. From what most people say, he is the team’s No. 2 starter behind just Masahiro Tanaka.

Joe Girardi the Yankees manager cut one arm from his starting rotation by sending Ivan Nova to the Yankees bullpen.

Severino is just 21 and Bird is only 22, but the two look comfortable amongst the older veterans on the squad.

Their teammates have described the two as both being self-contained, calm and poised.

Let’s see how far the youth will get them this season as the season starts to wind its way to an end and the Yankees battled the Blue Jays for the AL East title.