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It takes a remarkably short period of time for us fans to get attached to some players. It could be because we like their style of play, their personality, or something as simple as their name, but you just come to like some guys more than others. And on a team full of guys you're already rooting for you just end up rooting for that one guy just a little bit harder. I find myself doing a lot of that in spring training when it comes to those "fringe" players who are on the bubble of making the team. A player I've only seen a handful of times is suddenly the one I become most preoccupied with.
Thanks to PSA's handy dandy "Making the Team Meters", you can get a pretty good idea who the cast of characters that are fighting for spots is. I apparently was incorrect in my assessment that Jose Gil would make the team over Mark Teixeira. When you look at the lists, there's all kinds of guys that would be fun to pull for. You've got young guys hungry for a chance, some veterans looking to bounce back from injuries and whatever category Francisco Cervelli falls into (injury/PED comeback?). There's enjoyment to be had in watching the stars round into shape, obviously, but it's the guys fighting for jobs where the true intrigue in spring training lies.
While there's many deserving candidates to choose from, I think I'm pulling most for Dean Anna to make the team. The possibility of a player that was a standout in another team's system blossoming after yours was savvy enough to give him a chance intrigues me. Sure, he could just be one of many players that was a star in the minors and kept there for very legitimate reasons. But I would really like to see the guy get a chance to make a difference at the major league level. It's honestly not even because of an "anyone but Eduardo Nunez" mindset, I just want the guy to get the opportunity to show that his impressive work in the minors was a sign of a solid player and not just a fluke. Maybe he's the answer to all of the Yankees' infield concerns! Okay, I'll dial back the optimism.
Obviously all these talented fellows just can't make the team. Some will head down to the minors to continue to develop, some will be sent there as potential injury replacements and some poor guys will be handed their walking papers. So among all of the players the Yankees have in camp fighting for the right to don the pinstripes, who are you most rooting for to make the team? And don't be lame and pick Derek Jeter.