About Spring Training: Young at Heart
By Tim Kabel
March 6, 2025
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The Yankees are exactly three weeks away from Opening Day. When you think about it, that isn't very much time. They need to set the roster, the lineup, the starting rotation, and the bullpen composition in short order. Things have been complicated by the injuries to Giancarlo Stanton Luis Gil, and to a lesser extent, DJ LeMahieu. The Yankees have decisions to make but, there is a bigger picture here.
For years, many of us have been clamoring for the Yankees to get younger and more athletic. Sometimes, they have made a deliberate effort to do so. Other times, it has been out of necessity. Anthony Volpe won the starting shortstop job in 2023 in Spring Training. He had some growing pains but there is evidence that he can be a very capable Major League shortstop. Last year, Austin Wells and Luis Gil were thrust into prominent roles due to injuries to other players. Regardless, the Yankees have become younger as a team. That trend is continuing now.
Despite rumors that the Yankees may sign JD Martinez, it seems more likely that they will utilize Ben Rice and/or Everson Pereira in the DH role while Stanton is out. There is no indication about how long Stanton will be on the IL. Based on his history and the severity of this injury, it could be a while. If he is in the lineup before the All-Star break, I will be surprised. Everson Pereira is 23 years old, and Ben Rice is 26 years old. Rice demonstrated potential and tremendous power last season. Obviously, he had improvements to make. So far in Spring Training, he seems to have made them. It is very likely that we will be seeing some combination of Rice and Pereira in the DH role this season. They're both significantly younger than Giancarlo Stanton who is 35 years old and as fragile as a butterfly made of spun sugar. We all know what Stanton has done in the postseason, last year in particular. However, it's a long ride from Spring Training to the World Series. Stanton’s regular season campaigns have not been great as a Yankee, due to injuries and inconsistency. He is no longer the player who was the 2018 National League MVP.
The Rejuvenation Tour of DJ LeMahieu is seemingly over. I blinked and missed it but, it apparently lasted a whopping two at bats. He wasn't even playing the field. At this stage in his career, LeMahieu can pull a muscle by thinking about playing. There are still rumblings that the Yankees may make a trade for a third baseman but, if they don't, the competition will boil down to Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza. It seems that the Yankees would prefer to keep Cabrera in a super utility role. That means Oswald Peraza may be the front-runner to play third base. Oswald Peraza is 24 years old. DJ LeMahieu is 96 years old. I'm just kidding. He is 36 years old.
Jasson Dominguez will be the starting leftfielder for the New York Yankees this season, barring some unforeseen development. Even though we have heard about him since 1967, he is only 22 years old.
Luis Gil will miss a significant amount of time at the beginning of this season. Some reports indicate then he might not be ready to pitch in a game until June. His spot in the rotation needs to be filled. Let's face facts. Marcus Stroman it's not a great option. Last season, he did not pitch at all in the postseason. He didn't even get to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a game. The Yankees have been trying to trade him since November. Will Warren is having a very good spring. If that continues, he may force himself into replacing Luis Gil, much like Luis Gil forced himself into replacing Gerrit Cole last year. Will Warren is 25 years old. Marcus Stroman is 33 years old.
Among the players who are performing very well in spring training are Spencer Jones, who is 23 years old, and George Lombard, Jr., who is 19 years old. Neither of them will make the Yankees roster on Opening Day this season. However, if Spencer Jones is at AAA this season, it is conceivable that he could be called up to the Major Leagues by the end of the season, if there is an injury or he would be an improvement over someone else. Regardless, it seems likely that if he continues to develop, he will be in the Yankees’ outfield plans next season. If Cody Bellinger opts out of his contract and becomes a free agent, there will be an opening. Nothing is set in stone but, that is a distinct possibility. Similarly, if George Lombard, Jr. excels this season at high A ball and is elevated to AA, he could be in the Major Leagues at some point next season. If not, 2027 seems highly likely.
The Yankees are reported to be very interested in pursuing Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in free agency. Theoretically, they would allow Paul Goldschmidt to leave via free agency and sign Vladi. He is 26 years old.
The point of all this is that the Yankees have already become younger and are in the process of becoming even more so. Austin Wells is 25. Anthony Volpe is 23. Jazz Chisholm, Jr. is 27 Luis Gil is 26. With the additions of Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, and either Ben Rice or Everson Pereira to the starting lineup, the Yankees could have a lineup in which Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt are the only players over 30 years old this season. If the Yankees managed to sign Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Spencer Jones makes the team next season, the team will be even younger. Brian Cashman has been stating he wanted to do this for a few years now. One way or another, it seems that he will be doing so this season.
If the Yankees resist the urge to trade for Nolan Arenado and stick with Peraza and similarly avoid bringing in JD Martinez in deference to Ben Rice and Everson Pereira, that would be a very good thing in terms of player development and making the roster younger and more athletic.
The only problem with all of this is that Aaron Boone has always deferred to veterans, even if they were clearly outmatched by younger players. Aaron Boone is as warm and welcoming to youngsters as was the late WC Fields. For those of you who don't remember, WC Fields, the actor and comedian said the following “I like children, if they are properly cooked.” He also said, “Children should neither be seen nor heard from-ever again.”
We have seen repeatedly that Boone prefers to trot out washed up old veterans rather than give younger players a chance. The only reason that Austin Wells became the starting catcher last season was because Jose Trevino was injured. If he had not been, Wells would have been the backup all season long. We would be wondering this year if Wells could handle an expanded role. Trevino may have still been on the roster. All during the off-season, Boone was singing the praises of DJ LeMahieu and anointing him as the favorite in the third base competition. Well, DJ LeMahieu may have been the front-runner to be the third baseman, just as Emilia Perez was the front-runner to win the Academy Award. Neither of them won.
The best thing about the youth movement that is underway for the Yankees is that Aaron Boone is essentially being forced into it. His security blankets and safety nets have been removed. He no longer has Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, (for now, at least), Isiah Kiner Falefa, or Jose Trevino. If LeMahieu and Stanton are on the IL for a while, Boone will have to play the youngsters. Now, I know he could try to force feed Dominic Smith and Trent Grisham into the lineup but, they are fringe Major Leaguers at best, and not viable options to be starters. Aaron Boone will have to embrace this infusion of youth, work with it and help the young players develop and flourish or, he may find himself out of a job. I know he was given an extension but, there are no guarantees that he will fulfill that contract. The heat is on him to win, and he has been being given a young, exciting roster with which to do it.
Now, it's up to him.
