Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media at NJ.com

The Yankees have the best record in the Grapefruit League and second-best in Major League Baseball after a week of spring games. Offensively, Greg Bird, Matt Holliday, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are off to great starts. Ace Masahiro Tanaka and the starting pitching have been very good, too. And the bullpen has closer Aroldis Chapman, who put on a show in his spring debut during Thursday night's 8-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

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Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

10 reasons for Yankees fans to be excited

TAMPA — Is it too soon to start thinking the Yankees are going to be a playoff team in 2017? Probably. But they've had a sensational first week of spring games and prevailed again Thursday night when blowing out the Baltimore Orioles 8-1 at Steinbrenner Field. Here are 10 reasons why Yankees fans should be excited:

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Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

Winning breeds confidence

The Yankees won their spring opener last Friday, lost the next day and haven't lost since. Their 7-1 record is the best in the Grapefruit League.

"The wins doesn't matter, but I think having confidence with a team early on is good," pitcher Adam Warren said. "You're starting to believe how good this team is. I know nobody is going to know what your record was in spring training once the regular-season starts, but ... I feel like we've scored a bunch of runs, we're pitching and it's exciting to see this team so far. I think more than anything you just kind of see the potential there with these guys."

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Bats on fire

How did the Yankees win seven of their first eight spring games?

How's this for offense?

They're hitting .305 as a team, averaging 6.8 runs per game and have 15 homers.

Seven of the nine probable regulars, in fact, are hitting at least .333 with Matt Holliday leading the charge at .455.

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"I know it's only a week, but balls are jumping off bats," Girardi said. "Guys are moving runners over and getting 'em in. Everyone is contributing. Guys are getting on base. Guys are hitting home runs. A lot of loud noises the first week of spring training."

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Matt Rourke | AP

MLB's 2nd-best ERA

No. 1 starter Masahiro Tanaka (pictured) and Yankees pitchers are getting it done big-time, too, with a Grapefruit League-best 3.15 ERA.

The only team in baseball with a lower ERA is the Los Angeles Angels, who lead the Cactus Leageu at 2.83.

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Bird scorching

It's still very early, but Greg Bird is on his way to beating out newcomer Chris Carter for the starting first base job.

Bird hit another homer against Baltimore on Thursday night, his third in his last two games. This one was a two-run bomb to right in the fourth inning off righty Joe Gunkel.

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Bird was 1-for-3 on the night and now is hitting .417 in five games with two doubles, three homers and five RBIs.

Carter hit 41 homers for Milwaukee last season to tie for the NL lead, but he's a strikeout machine who whiffed 206 times in 549 at-bats. So far this spring, Carter is batting .222 with a homer and Ks in nine ABs.

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This is what the Yankees were hoping for this spring from Bird, who missed all of last season recovering from right shoulder labrum surgery after being a star rookie in 2015 following an August call-up from Triple-A.

"You take his last three games ... two doubles, three home runs," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "It doesn't look like there's a weakness there. It doesn't look like (his shoulder) is bothering him. He looks really good at the plate."

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Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports

Judge off to fast start

Rookie Aaron Judge seemingly (and unofficially) was the favorite to beat out Aaron Hicks for the open right field job heading into spring training and he appears to have a bigger edge a week into Grapefruit League play.

Thus far, Judge is hitting .364 with a homer, three RBIs and only one strikeout in 11 at-bats over five games, while Hicks is batting .167 (2-for-12) with no RBIs in five games.

"It's really who steps up and takes the job," Girardi said.

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Girardi, however, is weighing a lot more than what Judge and Hicks hit this spring.

"Numbers can be deceiving in short samples, so you have to look at their at-bats and what they do defensively and what they do on the base paths ... all those things."

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Elsa | Getty Images

Secret weapon

Outfielder prospect Billy McKinney sure is taking advantage of a late invitation to big-league spring training ... one that materialized only because first baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin and outfielder Mason Williams suffered injuries just before camp opened.

McKinney, who has been traded twice since being drafted 24th overall by Oakland in 2013, hit a two-run homer and RBI double against Baltimore on Thursday. The lefty now is hitting .600 with two homers and five RBIs in five games.

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"He's looked really good at the plate," Girardi said. "The two-strike hit he got (Thursday) looked like a changeup. His BPs are impressive.

"We talked about it when we sat down in the meetings (after Austin and Wiliams' injuries) that he swung the bat as well as anyone in Double-A the last month of the (2016) season. He looks like he's a player."

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Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

Rotation contenders hot

The Yankees are auditioning five right-handers for their two open rotation spots, and a week into Grapefruit League play contenders Bryan Mitchell, Adam Warren, Luis Severino, Luis Cessa and Chad Green have pitched to a 1.50 ERA (3 runs over 18 innings).

Warren (pictured) pitched well in a win over Baltimore on Thursday, as he retired nine of 11 hitters in allowing one run, one hit and a walk over three innings.

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What will determine the winners?

"I try to watch swings," Girardi said. "I don’t look so much at linescores. In spring training the wind can blow out a lot. In some ballparks the infields can get really fast. I really just try to watch swings.

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"I try to watch how many pitches they have and how effective they are with those pitches. You can have four pitches, but if you’re only effective with two, the other two don’t do you a ton of good. So I try to watch that as well.

"I watch how they field a position, hold runners because if you’re pitching six-seven innings, those things will come up, and that’s important as well."

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Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

Holliday looks hungry

New Yankees designated hitter Matt Holliday already looks like he's a mission to have a big rebound season from his worst season.

The seven-time All-Star impressed again Thursday night with an opposite-field homer to right in two at-bats. He's now hitting .455 with a homer and three RBIs in five games.

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Girardi, by the way, went into spring training thinking Holliday, a long-time outfielder, may not play the field at all this season and nothing's changed.

"As of right now, I don't have a ton of plans to play him in the outfield, but circumstances change during the season," Girardi said.

Translation: If the Yankees lose a couple of starting outfielders to injury, Holliday could end up playing a little or a lot of outfield, and according to Girardi, the seven-time All-Star doesn't need to see time out there this spring to insure he's be OK in an emergency.

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Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

Chapman hits 100

Closer Aroldis Chapman, who re-signed with the Yankees this winter for $86 million after being traded to the Cubs last July, worked a 1-2-3 fourth inning with two strikeouts Thursday against Baltimore in his spring debut.

The Cuban lefty is still building up his velocity, but half of his 16 pitches were fastballs and one hit 100 mph while three others were clocked at 99.

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"That's Chappy," Girardi said. "That's the best way to describe him. He threw some changeups. He threw them to left-handers as well. Good stuff ... His changeup is really good. When you throw 103, you don't necessarily throw it (much), but it's really good."

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David Goldman | AP

Red Sox get major scare

The Boston Red Sox are defending AL East champs and big favorites to repeat in 2017 with their rotation adding a Chris Sale as a third ace.

They may be down to two because left-hander David Price has been shut down with elbow soreness and is concerned enough that he's headed to see Dr. James Andrew, who is best known for doing Tommy John surgeries.

No Yankees player wants another player to suffer a serious injury, even a star on a rival club, but Price being lost for the season could dramatically help their playoff chances.

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Girardi figures the Red Sox have to be very nervous.

"I think anytime you hear a pitcher associated with James Andrews, it's not what you want to hear if he's on your club," he said. "There have been guys who went to James Andrews and came back and have been fine. But I know I cringe when I hear our guys are going to see James Andrews, not because he’s not great at what he does, but you worry about if something is really wrong."

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.