Saturday, February 28, 2015

Yankees unlikely to use six-man rotation this season

The idea might sound neat, but at least for now, the Yankees don't plan to use a six-man rotation this season. 

"In a perfect world, it's something that's a great concept," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told NJ.com Thursday. "But I think more realistic would be seeing someone taking a sixth spot and pushing a guy back or skipping a starter's turn in the rotation."

The Yankees currently have just four guaranteed starters for 2015 -- Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and Nathan Eovaldi. The usual fifth man of that group, Ivan Nova, is presently recovering from Tommy John surgery, and isn't expected to return until June.

So a minimum of one more spot must obviously be filled, and most speculation this winter says the next in line is either veteran lefty Chris Capuano or second-year reliever Adam Warren. After re-signing with the Yankees for $5 million in December, however, Capuano does appear to be the favorite -- given his notable experience in the role.

Still, the Yankees aren't completely discarding the concept of adding another arm after that, and pitching coach Larry Rothschild says they will look into all options early in the season. 

"We do have the opportunity, if we need a sixth starter at times, we'll probably run him out there," Rothschild said. "We're looking at 30 games in 31 days, April through May. So we'll look at a lot of different scenarios."

The Yankees have also reportedly considered Esmil Rogers, Chase Whitley and Bryan Mitchell for starting jobs in recent weeks, but chances are their futures are already known. Rogers -- the most likely of the three to make the big league squad -- will presumably head back to the bullpen this year, and Whitley and Mitchell seem set for another stint at Triple-A. 

But that doesn't mean whoever loses between Capuano and Warren will definitely be out of throwing first innings for good -- at least according to Cashman.

"If we're ever in a position where we're fortunate enough to have six quality arms that can compete for a win on a daily basis for the rotation, I think we'lll be in the position to implement that," Cashman said. "But first things first."

3 comments:

  1. It's too bad, they aren't going with the 6 man rotation this year! I really don't like a six-man rotation but with Tank and Pineda having heath problems, I think this is one case where it would benefit them. Give them more rest and recuperation time, and they will have a better chance of being stronger all season.

    The six-man rotation thing! I am thinking of all the benefits for the pitchers, and there are many, and also, the problems with it. I think it will be on my Blog next week, just so it won't bore anyone here. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like the idea of it as it helps out Tanaka, Pineda, CC and Nova when he comes back. What can you do. One bad apple always spoils the bunch.

      Delete
    2. As Cash said; "But first things first."
      A Good starting place is with the League...give each team one more player on the roster! AL has a DH and all teams have a one-inning closer, add another pitcher to that equation and there has to be a call for one more player.
      Start the process down on the farm 1st, as we all know...pitchers are creatures of habit and hate change. This lets the pitchers figure out a how to spread their work-outs over one more day without losing their edge!
      This list of things could go on and on but, at least it could be the start!

      Delete

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)