Pete Kozma Should Round Out New York Yankees' 2016 Bench

One of the New York Yankees’ unsettled, and less heralded, competitions has been for the final bench spot. Right now it looks like Pete Kozma might be getting the nod to round out the Yankees’ bench.

If you are unfamiliar with Kozma picture a younger version of Brendan Ryan and that’s him. He brings above average defense at multiple positions and doesn’t offer much at the plate. The Yankees have been willing to carry a light bat as long as the player wielding it can play defense at multiple positions. The case in point is Ryan over the last few seasons.

Earlier in spring training it looked as if the Yankees were trying to do everything in their power to at least give Rob Refsnyder a chance to break camp with the team. He was hitting at a decent clip and was learning third base, a position the Yankees are lacking in depth. However, Refsnyder has struggled of late in the field, having needed a trip to the hospital after taking a ball off of his face while trying to field it.

Refsnyder was facing an uphill battle given his struggles learning to play second base. He had played the outfield in college before the Yankees turned him into a second baseman, so he was behind the curve to start. Learning a new position, like third base, isn’t easy for someone who has never played it. There will be growing pains, and unfortunately for Refsnyder, those pains are actually painful, as the ball to the face illustrates.

Kozma has experience playing shortstop, third and second as well as left field. He won’t set the world on fire with his bat, but he did start at shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals for 139 games in 2013 and made some pretty good Cardinals teams over the years.

The Yankees will need someone who can play third, and having a player who can play shortstop and second base as well as some outfield would be a major boost to their bench which already figures to be fairly deep and versatile. Kozma might not get anyone excited, but he is a solid ballplayer who should give Joe Girardi a little extra flexibility. He should be the final piece for the Yankees off the bench to start the season.