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By Brendan Kuty | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TAMPA — Tino Martinez has watched Greg Bird for years.

Martinez, a legendary Yankees first baseman, thinks the world of the 25-year-old Bird, whom the team has hyped as its longterm answer at the position but hasn't been healthy enough to stay on the field to prove them right the last couple years.

On Friday, NJ Advance Media spoke with Martinez, a spring training instructor and team player development instructor, about Bird's ceiling and why could be the Yankees' best young hitter on a team that features Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez.

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Thomas Shea | AP

Q: What do you think about Greg Bird, the hitter?

A: I’d seen him three years ago in Double-A, Triple-A. I’d been watching him quite a bit. He’s just been, in my opinion, an all-around great hitter. He’s patient. He’s a great two-strike hitter. He uses the whole field. He’s a .300 hitter with 25-30 home runs. He’s just got a nice, compact short swing with some pop.

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Thomas Shea | AP

Q: What's it about his makeup that going to let him succeed here?

A: Obviously, he’s been around here already. He got a taste of it last year, especially with the postseason, so he knows what playing in New York is all about, the pressures of the postseason and he can definitely handle that. Off the field, he’s very relaxed. But on the field, you can see it in his at-bats, you can see it in his batting practices, he’s so focused in the batter’s box that nobody can distract him.

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Q: When you say a .300 hitter, 25 homers -- do you see that as his ceiling or could he do that right now?

A: He can do that this year. With a full, healthy season, oh, yeah. I’ve seen him in the minor leagues. I’ve seen him get a first-pitch fastball away and hit a double to left-center. In the next at-bat, a guy threw him a curveball, and he hit a home run to right-center. The next at-bat, the guy threw him a fastball and he hit another home run to right-center. The last at-bat, he got a changeup, he hit a double down the left-field line. So, it just shows me that he’s not — even when he hits a home run, he’s not trying to hit home runs. He’s taking what they give him. He’s hitting the ball where it’s pitched. That’s just a discipline a lot of guys don’t have.

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Q: Some people look at him and say John Olerud. Is that accurate?

A: I think John Olerud is a great hitter. Joe Mauer, same thing. Guys who just use the whole field, hit for a bit of power, hit .300-plus. He’s got that type of ability, yeah.

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Howard Simmons | NYDN

Q: Can I ask you what it is about his swing that you like so much?

A: It’s short. It’s a short stride. It’s short to the ball. He never overswings. I never see him swing and miss and be off-balance. He’s always balanced. He’s always within himself. You don’t have to overswing to hit home runs. He never does that. He just hits the ball wherever it goes. He’s a great hitter.

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Mike Stobe | Getty Images

Q: That short porch in right field in Yankee Stadium. How tough is it for a hitter like him to not just go for it?

A: It’s tough. It’s definitely tough to say that. But he doesn’t worry about that right-field porch at all. He knows its there. But his focus is the whole field, left-center to right-center. That’s his whole focus. That’s where he’s going to hit the ball. When they throw a ball inside or an offspeed pich inside, he’s going to react to it and hit it over that right-field wall without even trying.

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Kim Klement | USA Today Sports

Q: As a first baseman, one who played in New York, what do you think about he's had some health issues over the years. They appear fluky. How tough do you think that is for a player to overcome, dealing with all that so young?

A: I don’t think it’s hard for him. I’m sure it’s frustrating. The last couple of years, they have been really frustrating for him. But now he’s back on the field and you hope he stays healthy. Anybody can get injured at any time. He just had it happen the last couple of years. I know he’s frustrated about it, but that’s a good thing and he’s just going to keep grinding.

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Elsa | Getty

Q: Is there anything about Greg that I didn't ask that you'd want to impress upon people?

A: No. If you ask me what kind of hitter he is, I’d tell everybody, he’s the best all-around hitter, one of the best I’ve ever seen in terms of using the entire field for today’s generation that’s all about fly balls and launch angles and home runs.

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Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media

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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.