TAMPA, Fla. -- The 2017 Yankees aren’t the 1996 Yankees or, for that matter, the 2019 Yankees, who could be something special. This year's club is probably right in the middle, just another team that could have a good season if they catch some breaks -- or an ugly one, if they don’t.
Nearly every day this spring training, you can see the future and feel the giddiness emanating from Yankees officials about what might be. Even manager Joe Girardi has gotten into the act, comparing this developing group of Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Greg Bird, Justus Sheffield, and others favorably with the talent level of the early ‘90s development of Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada.