Between spring training games, the A-Rod spectacle, significant questions floating around and statements Sent from my iPhone
For most teams, spring training is a time when players compete for a roster spot. The biggest competition in Yankees camp this year is which roster spot should cause the most concern.
Take the day Alex Rodriguez attracted all the attention for his spring debut. Obviously, what remains of his ability will be one of the most scrutinized issues all spring and for the entire season.
Image Credit: www.springtrainingconnection.com
There hasn't been much discussion on whether CC Sabathia can rebound from the worst year of his career. Or if an apparently healthy Michael Pineda has regained the consistency and stamina to provide more than year's 76 stellar innings.
Masahiro Tanaka, with the seven-year, $155 million contract he signed before last season, is the Yankees one legitimate chance for a dominant ace at the top of the rotation. He was 11-1 with a 1.99 earned run average in mid-June last year. He reported elbow pain after July start in Cleveland, but counting the three outings before that one through the two he made in a September bid to check the progress of his ongoing rehab project, he was 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA.
Tanaka says he's been building his strength, continuing the treatment that includes platelet-rich plasma injections and expects to start a spring game next week. If this doesn't work, especially if it takes a bit longer to decide he's not beating the odds that catch up to most pitchers trying to rehab a partial tear, Tanaka could be nearly halfway through the contract before he pitches again.
Image Credit: (Lynne Sladky | AP)
While Alex Rodriguez has been getting back to form, what his time in Tampa will not tell is if he is ready for regular-season major league at-bats. This is a man who didn't look like A-Rod we knew when we saw him in a batter’s box, and then he took a full year off, plus he’s had two hip surgeries and will turn 40 this summer. So unless he is completely overmatched during the Grapefruit League, it won’t be possible to make an accurate judgment.
So, if we learned anything over Rodriguez’s first 12 days at Yankees camp, it is that he is just as curious as all of us to find out how he matches up with other major leaguers at this point in his career.
Amid the worries, there have been some positive finds during spring training.
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While the current crop is no "Core Four," there might finally be some decent position player prospects on the near horizon for the Yankees. Three of the best, second baseman Rob Refsnyder, first baseman Greg Bird, and outfielder Aaron Judge, are making strong impressions in big league camp, and Refsnyder could possibly open the season in the majors.
With only Stephen Drew standing in his way, Refsnyder has a decent chance of winning the Yankees’ second base job at some point in the near future. On Friday, Refsnyder continued his hot hitting against the Phillies and looks like a guy who should bat .275 or better in the majors. With a compact swing, good plate discipline, and plus bat speed, Refsnyder has all the tools to be solid No. 2 hitter in a big league lineup. He doesn’t have much power and isn’t a big base-stealing threat, but he’s a guy who could contribute batting average, runs, and RBI in the majors as soon as this year.
Bird’s future is a little less certain. He’s limited defensively and has had a history of back injuries. On the plus side, he has good power, above-average plate discipline, and a smoother, shorter swing than most players his size. Bird has handled everything he’s seen thus far in big league camp and hasn’t been phased by quality pitching in the at-bats I’ve observed. Here in spring camp, he’s demonstrated a patient approach, used the whole field, and punished the mistakes he’s gotten. Bird will likely return to Double-A to begin the season, but he’s starting to look like he might be the Yankees first baseman of the future. If he continues to develop, a .270-20-90 line is within reach.
Judge is the furthest from the majors, having split last season between Low-A and High-A. He can still get beaten by quality stuff, but his excellent plate discipline and simple swing will help keep his batting average in the .270 range. Judge has huge raw power, but he doesn’t sell out for home runs during at-bats. As he matures, that power could start to show up in games, making him an intriguing prospect who profiles as anything from a fourth outfielder to a power-hitting right fielder with 25-plus home run pop. While he’s not there yet, Judge is definitely a guy to track.
Image Credit: cbssports.com
The New York Yankees have officially had 16 Captains in their history, names ranging from Babe Ruth to Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson to Ron Guidry, Don Mattingly to Derek Jeter.
In an appearance on The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN Radio 98.7 FM on Thursday afternoon, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that when Jeter's No. 2 is eventually retired, the Yankees' captaincy should be retired as well.
"I think Derek did it as well as anyone can,'' Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com. "He wore it well, and I'm not a big advocate of giving out the captaincy anyway. I'm not going to recommend anyone being named captain of the New York Yankees right away.''
Jeter was named captain in 2003, eight years after Mattingly retired, and he held the title until his retirement at the end of last season. Among the current Yankees who could be considered possible successors to Jeter are Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley, Brett Gardner and Alex Rodriguez.
While there isn't a rush to name a captain, there should be a time in the future that a leader emerges in the clubhouse.
While the theme for this season seems to be uncertainty, the Yankees may be able to put something together and hopefully will make it to playoffs this season.
Christine O'Connor
@christineeeeO
