COULD THIS SLEEPER STEAL A STARTING JOB?

Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

I remember spring training 2017 like it was just yesterday. I was tracking Jordan Montgomery and was amazed by him. It was like he came out of nowhere and he kicked butt. He made it impossible for the Yankees not to give him a starting job. It was unexpected and completely thrilling but now I have to wonder is another young kid about to do it again?

I know some people are going to say "don't get ahead of yourself here. Calm down" but Domingo German may be pulling a Montgomery. If he is, that is absolutely epic. At the end of last season I had my money on Chance Adams being the next young kid to get a shot. I still think he will get one this season but if German keeps this up will he beat Adams to the punch?

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I feel like we have so much talent right now anything is possible. Anyone could come up and pull off the unthinkable and German's start on Wednesday against the Mets was very impressive. The two unearned runs over 2 2/3 innings in the Yankees' 11-4 come-from-behind victory was nice on its own but I really felt like he attacked hitters and most of all he executed his pitches. My favorite part of his outing was when he struck out former Yankee Todd Frazier, Adrian Gonzalez and Jose Reyes in a 1-2-3 inning.

Photo: NJ.com

German did well in the minors last season. He had an 8-6 record with a 2.88 ERA in 19 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Scouts credit his improvement in both his command and also his secondary pitches. It sounds like he is making all the right improvements and when you can strike out the big name big league guys it's going to give the Yankees and German confidence going forward.

Photo: Getty Images

I'm liking what I see so far from German. I won't get overly excited yet but it certainly feels a little like last season. The Yankees have been so focused on finding another starter for some more depth. You can never have enough pitching, but if the Yankees can't add that affordable starter before the start of the season we just might have enough depth to wait for the affordable option to present itself. If the Yankees can't add a guy like Lance Lynn now, maybe German can be the bridge until it does happen. It's good to have options and not be in panic mode.

I'm loving the hype in camp right now. Can German pull a Montgomery and steal a spot after all? Could it be Montgomery's role or does he steal Luis Cessa's emergency starter role? Who knows....but it certainly is fun to watch!

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj