It’s hard to think of Greg Bird as a rookie. He made his debut in the second half of 2015, and exceeded the technical rookie status that same season. He missed all of 2016, however, and only played 48 games down the stretch last season. His 61 g ames so far in 2018 have him at 155 for his career, pretty much one full “season” worth in the big leagues. He’s not a rookie in the technical sense, but only has one real season under his belt.
Evaluators touted Bird as the vanguard of the Baby Bombers movement, while some even described as the best hitter in a burgeoning minor league system.