THE BATTLE FOR THE 5TH YANKEE STARTER

The battle for the 5th starter is starting to heat up in Tampa. Two guys are really making a case for themselves in just a short time this spring; Michael Pineda and David Phelps. 

DJ Short of Hardball Talk wrote a piece this past weekend about Michael Pineda making a run this Spring. We know it's still alittle early to speculate, but this is exactly the kind of news we have been for as Yankee fans... Pineda... actually good again? OMG!  After all, two off seasons later and we still have yet to see what exactly we got in return for Jesus Montero. Well, that time is now! 

Michael Pineda had a very good outing against the Detroit Tigers showing signs of that 2011 Michael Pineda...he had good command. He went 2 innings striking out 4. One of them being Detroit's big bat Miguel Cabrera.  Pineda also was taxed for one hit in his debut.  21 of 27 were strikes. Overall, Pineda felt good after the game, and had no complaints or any setbacks. Again it's too early to get excited, but I'd like to. It's a good sign of what might be in store if he continues down this path.   If he can keep it up, he could wind up being the heavily favored candidate for 5th starter. 

Joe Girardi spoke with Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News about it, stating “We like what we saw... I don’t want to make too much of it, but I’ve said all along he looks different what we’ve seen this spring compared to a couple springs ago. He’s cleaned up his mechanics a lot. This is a good step.”  Look, all in all, this is the kind of news we have been wanting to hear about in Pineda. We can only hope and pray that more good news continues to come out of camp. 

David Phelps has had some good outings as well. In his last start against the Rays, Phelps threw for 5 scoreless innings allowing just 3 hits and getting one strike out. It's been his strongest of his 3 starts so far this Spring Training.  

With an ERA of 1.86 and 7 strikeouts in those 3 starts, Phelps is making it hard for the Yankees management to just focus on Pineda.  I like that... alittle competition happening here.  Brendan Kuty of the Star Ledger spoke of Phelps writing: "He said he felt comfortable enough Tuesday to work on his change up in live action despite competing for a starting job. In fact, he said, he's not thinking about the competition."  

Either way, you can bet making a decision from Girardi and company will not be easy with Adam Warren and Vidal Nuno also in the mix. All four guys are certainly going to help bolster the rotation. We need that. Whomever gets the nod, I will be happy for them regardless. 

Stay tuned for this one. If this is any indication of what is in store going into Opening Day, it'll certainly be worth watching as they keep trying to prove their worth.


Rudy Laurens
BYB Writer

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