WHY I HAVE THE YANKEE ROTATION FOR MAY

Yeah sure… I’m jumping the gun, nothing wrong with alittle speculation… me looking into my crystal ball after almost entire month of April baseball is under our belt? Why, not right? So what do I see right now? Who will be filling the rotation come around May 5^th?  How about this:

CC Sabathia: The monster will finally be in a rhythm and he’ll be 3-1 by then. We’ll see CC stretched out, going 8 + innings and all the worry about our ace not being good in the beginning of the season will be gone. Don’t worry, he’ll be back and ready.

Hiroki Kuroda: I am a firm believer that Russell Martin is the key to Kuroda. Kuroda suggested he was worried about his first start at Yankee stadium and he was amazing. His last start was a stinker, but listen, Kuroda's the type where he's either amazing or horrible...there is no in between with him. Let’s guess and say Kuroda’s record will be 3-2 by May 5th. It’s a guess based on my gut.

Andy Pettitte: That’s right, Andy Pettitte will return by then and he’ll be impressing everyone I think, going slow in the minor leagues and building strength, confidence and velocity. Maybe by May 5^th he’ll have a win under his belt, but I just can’t predict when he’s coming back. For argument’s sake, let’s say his record will be 1-0.

Ivan Nova: Super Nova will be 5-0. I’m going for it here. I like his stuff so far this season and I believe that he has the tools to really explode the next few weeks. I think he knows how important he is to this Yankees rotation and likes where he is in the 4 spot…no pressure.

Phil Hughes: The Yankees won’t be able to let go, they want their Golden Boy to succeed and they’ll put Hughes in the 5^th spot eventually this season, even though I believe his record will be closer to 1-3 by May 5^th. They’ll also be ready at any moment to pull him for Boy Wonder David Phelps. I’m not kidding, I believe that.

So where’s Freddy Garcia? Gone. I believe if Garcia chokes it like he has the last few outings, the Yankees will have no choice but to either release him, trade him or try and move him to the bullpen. Freddy had a good run with the Yankees but I think the return of Andy Pettitte could have possibly affected his dude’s head. It’s unfair to speculate about that, I know, but it’s my opinion, nothing more.

And Michael Pineda…well, the kid had potential but now with this new shoulder injury, many don't expect much from Pineda this season, even if he IS healthy by June like they're suggesting. The Yankees will take baby steps with this young arm, not rushing him, after all, Pineda's a long term investment, I don't think the Yankees ever really intended for Pineda to be an 18 game winner in 2012.  I think if it happened, they would have welcomed it, but Pineda's not for the "now" as much as he is the "future." My thoughts, my opinion, that's all.

 

Life’s hard in Yankeeland when there are too many pitchers sometimes, feelings get hurt…some succeed, some don’t...and some get injured, but at the end of the day, it’s business…after all, we’re trying to win a championship, right?

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