New York Yankees: Four corner infield options for 2018

The Yankees are set everywhere on the diamond except for first base and third base. They can go in several directions to fill out their lineup.

A lot of Yankees exceeded expectations in 2017. Aaron Judge and Luis Severino went from question marks in March, into All-Stars in July and awards finalists in November. The team won 91 games and took the Houston Astros to game 7 in the ALCS.

However, there were two lineup spots where thing’s didn’t go according to plan. At first base, the idea was to go with a Greg Bird/Chris Carter platoon. Bird struggled severely in April before succumbing to injuries, from which he wouldn’t return until late August. Carter had no such excuse for his weak hitting and was released on July 10.

At the hot corner, veteran switch-hitter Chase Headley held down the fort for most of the year. Despite an anemic May, he finished the year with an exactly league average 100 OPS+. However, he shifted primarily to first base after the Yankees traded for Todd Frazier at the trade deadline.

Now, with Frazier hitting free agency and prospects on the horizon, the Yankees must decide who to trust at the corners in 2018.