A back story about the 29 year old first baseman – BlueJaysNation

Does the name Greg Bird sound familiar?

The questions still remain as to whether the Blue Jays are capable of getting a left-handed bat that can strike for strength. However, Bird, a first baseman, might fit this role.

The 29-year-old played four seasons with the New York Yankees between 2016-2019, where he cut a painful .211 / .301 / .725 with 32 homeruns in his 700 record appearances. However, prior to his first MLB record appearance, he was a very decent prospect in the Yankees organization.

Designed in the fifth round of the 2011 High School Draft, it took the 29-year-old (obviously younger at the time) a few years to develop before he also ranked in the MLB Pipeline’s list of the top Yankees ass. Why am I bringing this up? Well, it will illustrate how highly advertised he was as a prospect (which was noted in the Phillies broadcast yesterday), but how many injuries cost him.

He broke out in the 2013 season and ranked 7th on the 2014 Top 30 Yankee prospects. Now I will not give you the statistics because it does not really matter, but we just focus on his ratings of each season.

2014 Degrees:

Hit: 50

Strength: 50

Run: 30

Arm: 45

Field: 45

He also led the minor leagues and walks, but MLB Pipeline also noted that he had back problems that led to him losing athleticism. Interestingly, he was also Kevin Gausman’s finger in high school, so that’s something.

He had another great season in 2014, as he spent time between High A and Double A. As his homer totals went down, adjusted to the level, I would argue that he improved.

2015 Degrees:

Hit: 50

Power: 60

Run: 30

Arm: 45

Field: 45

Bird’s value as a perspective came from the fact that he mixed things for fun. According to his 2015 bio, he was an below-average runner (back injury) and an ok first-team fielder. As a first baseman, none of this was important because your job is to strike a chord and stand on the first base bag.

An interesting note from the 2015 Yankees Top 30 is the fact that former Jay and current Red Sox player Rob Refsnyder are ranked fifth just below Bird. Not only that, but fellow non-roster guest Gosuke Katoah was ranked as her 28th best prospect.

Greg Bird’s first season was his best. He cut .261 / .343 / .871 and added 11 home runs in his 178 record appearances. While he had a pretty high K% pa of 29.8%, this was the only season where he hit over Mendoza line (.200), had a wRC + above average (100) and an fWAR above 0.1.

Unfortunately, the injuries started to cry on the slugger. He missed the entire 2016 season due to a Labrum tear that required surgery. He was ready to start the 2017 season, but a foot injury put him on the sidelines in early May. He did not see the game action until August 26, 2017.

Before the start of the 2018 season, Bird required surgery to remove bone marks in his right ankle. The first baseman returned in May and scored .199 / .286 / .672 with 11 homers and 311 record appearances, the most in a single season.

After only 41 plate appearances in 2019, Bird missed the season due to a plantar fascia tear in his left foot. He was cut by the Yankees at the end of the season and missed 2020.

Before the start of the pandemic, Bird signed a small league deal with the Texas Rangers. The first baseman did not reach the team at the start of the season in July. On the 31st, the Rangers selected his contract and then the disaster struck, as he literally had a real calf load the next day. After his 10-day stint at IL, the Rangers DFA’ed him.

The then 28-year-old first baseman has signed a small league deal with the Colorado Rockies. After five miserable seasons that saw Bird continue to suffer injuries, he remained fully healthy in 2021. Not only did he remain healthy, but he had a career recovery with the Albuquerque Isotopes.

Bird played in 112 games, scoring .267 / .363 / .894 in his 461 record appearances. Not only that, but Bird also hit 27 homers, a career high on every level. He had a solid radiation rate for a slugger at 23% with an impressive walk at 12.6%.

However, this must be taken with a grain of salt, as the isotope’s home field is over 5,000 feet above sea level. Despite being a slugger, his home run total could be increased due to altitude, as the altitude affected Coors Park in Denver. In fact, the Pacific Coast League is often referred to as “Hitters Sky” due not only to the altitude in some parks, but also due to the low humidity of the region.

If you look at his home and away split, he had only five fewer homers away (16 home, 11 away), but one noticeable difference was his battle cut. At home, his average was sitting at a fairly high .320, but once he was away, that dropped to .214.

The first question that needs to be asked is how much do you trust the PCL numbers. Yes, he was always a slugger, but after five years of injuries, it’s hard to see him just coming back as a power hitter. He remained healthy, however, which is a great sign for the 29-year-old.

If the Jays are unable to get the left bat, it may be worthwhile for Bird to sign a short-term contract depending on how his spring training is going. All I know is that after doing research for this article, I’m rooting for the 29 year old first baseman, whether he stays in the Blue Jays organization or not.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D. I still can not believe that Bird caught Kevin Gausman. That’s crazy for me.