TAMPA – Joe Girardi plans to look at a lot of lineups in spring training games and feels he cannot settle on a standard order until “we see how right field and first base pan out.”

That process grew more serious Sunday with the Yankees’ full squad taking the field for the first time. There are a lot of judgments – or in the case of right field, Judge-ments – between now and Opening Day, on April 2, one of the biggest being whether Girardi will follow through and split up what has been the 1-2 duo of Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury, the one player yet to report as he awaits the birth of his child.

I believe he should break up that tandem, and assuming the expected – Aaron Judge is the main right fielder and Greg Bird is at first – my lineup would be: 1. Gardner. 2. Gary Sanchez. 3. Bird. 4. Matt Holliday. 5. Didi Gregorius. 6. Starlin Castro. 7. Chase Headley. 8. Judge. 9. Ellsbury.

Already, I can tell you that will not be Girardi’s lineup, since the Yankee manager explained, “If I do split [Gardner and Ellsbury] up, I don’t anticipate having them hit one and nine.” That is because he still would have lefties consecutively when the lineup turned over.

Here is why I would go with my lineup:

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1. The best hitter should hit second, not third, and I have been blown away by how many Yankees officials agree. “I love it,” bench coach Rob Thomson said. He cited mainly extra at-bats over the season for the second hitter and perhaps more fastballs if a fleet leadoff man gets on. Until proven otherwise, Sanchez is the Yankees’ best hitter, despite only two strong months in the majors last season.

2. The Gardner/Ellsbury duo needs to be broken up atop the order. Gardner conceded the pair “did not have a great year” in 2016, but he said he still thinks it can be dynamic. However, both turn 34 late in the season, and there is diminishing belief either has enough individually to justify both getting the most at-bats on the team as the 1-2 atop the order.

Gardner is superior in seeing pitches and getting on base, so he should bat leadoff. If the Yankees are playing a team without a lefty starter and quality lefty relief, Girardi can bat them 1-2 occasionally. Or if one has superior matchup numbers against an opposing pitcher, Girardi can flip-flop them.

3. It would not be the worst thing to bat Ellsbury ninth as a message that his $153 million contract does not guarantee he will hit atop the lineup or even play regularly if better, younger alternatives come along. You sense the organization’s growing frustration with Ellsbury as both Brian Cashman and Girardi expressed a need to get more from him.

But the main fault lies with the Yankees giving an oft-injured player without a history of consistent excellence a contract that still has four years and $89.6 million left on it.

4. Yes, Ellsbury and Gardner still would bat back-to-back hitting ninth and first. But the rest of the lineup goes lefty-righty-lefty, making opposing relief matchups more difficult. Also, Ellsbury would bat less frequently, and his spot would be a sign that, when necessary, someone such as Chris Carter could hit for him against a lefty. In addition, this would replicate an NL lineup, in which the pitcher hits eighth with 9-1 forming a secondary top of the lineup in front of Sanchez.

5. This puts a lot of burden on Sanchez and Bird. But that is fine. For the Yankees to be good this year, that young duo needs to be good. Plus, part of this season is about giving youth opportunity to see what it can do as the Yankees try to envision exactly what their long-term roster is going to look like.

Girardi did not dismiss the idea of Bird hitting third, although he missed all of last season following shoulder surgery, saying, “We only have a short sample size for him [in 2015], but yes, I think he could [handle third] because it was an impressive short sample size [11 homers, .871 OPS in 46 games].”

6. As opposed to Bird and Sanchez, who thrived in late-season cameos, Judge has not done that yet. Thus, he should begin as the eighth-place hitter and earn his way up the lineup. The Yanks are encouraged that eliminating an exaggerated leg kick can make Judge less vulnerable to breaking balls away and – they hope – reduce his strikeouts and play up his power further.

In the Yankees’ dream scenario, they are hitting Sanchez, Bird and Judge consecutively near the top of the lineup at some time this season because each is healthy and has proven he can handle the responsibility.

For now, I would hit Judge eighth, just in front of a declining former leadoff man named Jacoby Ellsbury.