Ahead of the Yankees’ first 2.0 spring training game on Saturday night against the Mets at Citi Field, Aaron Boone spoke enthusiastically about his club’s reserves.
“I really like our depth and in the first two weeks I think it will be important for you to lean a little bit on that depth, keep the boys sharp but develop the boys properly,” Boone said. “We have guys who will have a day off in the first few weeks from a construction point of view, but I also have a lot of confidence in our additional players at the moment.”
The way Clint Frazier, Mike Tauchman, and Mike King performed in a 9-3 Yankees win is hard to disagree with Boone’s assessment of the Yankees’ depth.
Frazier, who as fifth outfielder with a list of 30 players at stake for the first two weeks has a chance to stay, sent a two-run homer to the second deck that Rick Porcello left in the fourth inning. Tauchman, the fourth outfielder who can play all three points, doubled and hit a single in the first two at-bats and scored a run. He drove in a ninth-inning run with an opposing field single to the left.
King, a 25-year-old right-hander who could make his way in the early-season rotation if Masahiro Tanaka does not return from a concussion or land a spot in the bullpen, allowed one run and three hits in four innings. After Brandon Nimmo’s opening single in the first inning, King retired the next nine Mets and left two in the final draw.
“Definitely different, but I was happy with my performance,” King said of spring 2.0 training. “I think we’ll see from here on out.”
Boone used the exhibition game to lead Miguel Andújar from left field to second-base shortstop in the fifth inning to provide Zack Britton with five infielders as he pitched to contact Tomas Nido with one out. Nest then threw a single to the right.
“I think it makes a lot of sense depending on the situation and the hitter up there,” said Britton, who worked in an intra-squad game with the same lineup.
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