​Despite an 84-78 record one season ago that saw them finish in fourth place in the AL East, New York Yankees fans have high expectations for their team in 2017. The youth movement and "Baby Bombers" have invigorated New York's faithful, who seem to believe the Yanks can bounce back from 2016 in a big way.





Rookie-sensation Gary Sanchez will look to build off of his remarkable 53-game campaign last season, in which he hit .299 with 20 HRs and 42 RBIs. The Yankees new middle-infield duo also was a pleasant surprise to some fans last season, as shortstop Didi Gregorius hit .276 with 20 HRs and 70 RBIs, while second baseman Starlin Castro contributed a .270 batting average along with 21 HRs and 70 RBIs.





The top of the lineup, however, is where the Yankees truly struggled; and this is where the biggest change needs to occur in order for the Bronx Bombers to succeed in 2017. Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit .263 with 9 HRs, 56 RBIs and only 20 stolen bases. Meanwhile, left fielder Brett Gardner had an even worse year, hitting .261 with 7 HRs, 41 RBIs and only 16 stolen bases.





Another huge disappointment for the Yanks in 2016 was third baseman Chase Headley, who hit just .253 with 14 HRs and 51 RBIs. These numbers do not even come close to matching Headley's four-year, $50 million contract, causing several fans, including myself, to call for his removal from the hot corner in favor for one of our rising prospects, like Miguel Andujar or even Gleyber Torres.





The addition of veteran slugger Matt Holliday should prove to be a great acquisition, as he will serve as the primary designated hitter, who can also backup the young Greg Bird at first base. Chris Carter strikes out a lot, but his power should be serviceable as another option at DH and first base.





Finally, the last spot left unanswered on the diamond is right field, where I believe Aaron Judge deserves a chance to showcase his talent, as opposed to sticking Aaron Hicks out there, who despite having an extremely strong arm, doesn't contribute nearly as much to the team's offense as Judge can.





Keeping all of this in mind, here is what I believe the Yankees' lineup should look like on opening day.

1 - Jacoby Ellsbury (CF)

2 - Didi Gregorius (SS)

3 - Gary Sanchez (C)

4 - Matt Holliday (DH)

5 - Greg Bird (1B)

6 - Starlin Castro (2B)

7 - Aaron Judge (RF)

8 - Chase Headley (3B)

9 - Brett Gardner (LF)





This lineup definitely goes against the grain, or what the vast majority of other fans expect to see on April 2. For starters, I think Ellsbury is a much better option at the top of the order as opposed to Gardner. Not only does Ellsbury steal more bases than Gardner, but he also strikes out a lot less (Gardner had 106 Ks last year compared to Ellsbury's 84). The difference in runs scored (Gardner's 80 to Ellsbury's 71) and walks (Gardner's 70 to Ellsbury's 54) isn't large enough to warrant hitting Gardner leadoff; he's just not as good as Ellsbury, in my opinion.





Gregorius was one of the Yankees best hitters last year, especially against left-handed pitching. Since Ellsbury also hits lefties better than Gardner, I think this one-two punch is the best possible combination in which the Yanks have two lefty hitters at the top of their lineup.





The biggest question mark in this theorized lineup is Bird, who is coming off a year-long hiatus from baseball due to a serious shoulder injury. If he can get back to the form he showed at the end of the 2015 season, Bird can be a great lefty piece in the middle of the lineup to separate some of the right-handed hitters.





Castro and Judge hitting sixth and seventh should mean that they will see a lot of quality pitches, which is necessary for both of these aggressive free-swingers. As long as Headley is still in pinstripes, he needs to hit at the bottom of the lineup. I think Headley has a short leash this year in terms of playing time, u nless he really improves on both his offense and defense in 2017.





Overall, I believe this lineup has a lot of potential, as it does a great job of separating the lefties and righties, and has a lot of power infused in almost every spot of the order. Honestly, I think this lineup would be even better without Headley in it, but that's a topic that can be best addressed in another article. For the team being, this is what I believe the Yankees' opening day lineup should be.



