THE STATE OF THE YANKEES ROTATION

Everyone's asking me how I think it's going to shakedown with the Yankees rotation. Since the beginning of Spring Training, there have been so many stories coming out of Yankees camp, some are very accurate and you've got to love Marc Carig of the Star Ledger for that, hands down the best in my opinion. You gotta love guys like Bryan Hoch of MLB and Bob Klapisch and Joel Sherman, Mark Feinsand. I could go on and on… but I won’t. Who wants to hear me rambling about sports writers I love? You want to hear about the Yankees rotation, so here it goes.

1. CC Sabathia

2. Hiroki Kuroda

3. Ivan Nova

4. Michael Pineda

5. Phil Hughes

That's right now assuming Andy Pettitte will not be ready for Opening Day. I'm imagining he'll be ready sometime after he testifies in the Clemens perjury trial, but who really knows. Hopefully we see him sooner.

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has a piece about how Phil Hughes has pretty much nailed down the 5^th starter rotation spot even though it is not officially announced. I wrote about that and my opinion on Freddy Garcia’s fate in WHY MY GUT SAYS FREDDY GARCIA IS LEAVING THE BRONX. If the report's true about Phil Hughes and I have no doubt it is, it’s just another step for the youngster who needs to prove to all of Yankeeland that he’s the guy the Yankees fell in love with years ago when many compared him to Roger Clemens, read HERE.

When it comes to Michael Pineda, the 23 year old that the Yankees acquired for Jesus Montero that send all of Yankeeland into a tizzy a few months ago, there’s all sorts of negative reports about weight and velocity. The poor guy came from Seattle and never expected so many stories about him. Although, I doubt the guys reading the papers about himself. Andrew Marchand, wrote he was hearing that Pineda would start the season in the minor leagues a few weeks ago. Read him HERE. I don’t believe it until I see it, but you never know. I also know that Yankees fans will go ballistic if that were to happen, wondering why we gave a big hitter in Jesus Montero away for a guy that’s starting in the minor leagues. Look, my opinion on Pineda is simple; I like him, I know the Yankees are pleased with him and his velocity and I believe that even if he started in AAA for 2 or 3 starts, it’s no big deal…he’s 23 years old. This Pineda investment is not so much for now as much as it is for 2013 and beyond. Hopefully it all works out. Any way you slice it, Pineda will be on the roster this season, don’t panic.

Andy Pettitte is clearly one of the guys that I am excited about. Yes, he signed a minor league deal with the Yankees but do you really believe that he won’t make the big team? This is Andy Pettitte. I see a good season, not great, but good one. He’s alittle older don’t forget and wasn’t in baseball at all last season, believe it or not that affects a body that’s about to turn 40. That being said, he will do well this year and I’m trilled he’s back, but again, I don't expect him back until after a few weeks into the season.

Hiroki Kuroda surprised me this spring. I really liked what I saw from the guy and without a doubt, Kuroda will help this ball club win. There is always a concern, and it has everything to do with moving to the American League from the National League, but luckily we have Larry Rothschild in our corner and as a former pitching coach in the National League himself, that will help. Plus we have Kuroda’s former battery mate with the Dodgers, Russell Martin, who will no doubt contribute to Kuroda’s success in pinstripes.

Ivan Nova is underrated and has truly flown under the radar this spring but I saw good stuff from Nova and I believe he’ll be a huge asset to the Yankees pitching staff. First off, he knows what we need and how we tick as a club. Nova had great success last year and while I was originally concerned that the innings load of 2010 from 2009 and how it would affect him, I’m starting to believe that Nova will be a top contributor on the club this year.

Clearly CC Monster will start it all off and don’t be surprised if CC starts off slow like he always does. There is no panic ladies and gentlemen, he will get stronger as the season progresses. I’m not worried, you shouldn’t be worried. CC is by far one of my favorite pitchers right now. I love his dedication, I love that he wanted to stay with the Yankees and I love that he truly is an ace and a leader on this ball club.

In a nutshell, those are our guys and I have a good feeling ladies and gentlemen. The Yankees are ready for 2012, and so are us fans. We’re literally 1 week away from baseball that counts…April 6^th, get ready for our quest for #28.

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