Phil Hughes has won the competition to be the fifth starter in the New York Yankees rotation. Most figured it would be either Hughes or Chamberlain from the get go, but a rough start to the spring complicated by the flu put Joba behind early on.
Joe Girardi said the competition wasn’t limited to just those two players, but no one really expected Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves or Chad Gaudin to get the nod.
Gaudin ended up being cut, and will likely end up in the bullpen which is severely shorthanded due to injury at the moment. Gaudin had a bad spring, but could he be worth a look for a starting job? Could he be a better option than Vin Mazzaro?
Mitre and Aceves will likely stay on the roster in New York as long relievers, a role which both have shown they can fill adequately.
Chamberlain, on the other hand, is going to end up back in the pen and will be used as a set up man, with his long term outlook entirely up in the air. Some want him to be groomed to take over for Mariano Rivera, thinking that Joba can be the next great closer. The Yankees aren’t ruling anything out and keep referring to him as a starter. Certainly he could be a starting pitcher for any number of teams, including the Yankees.
If Phil Hughes starts to struggle, how long of a leash do the Yankees give him? Do you give the fifth spot back to Joba?
What if Pettitte gets sore and needs a day off, who do you call in to make the start? Aceves or Mitre? Or do you bring in Joba?
Can a guys like Hughes and Chamberlain develop into the pitchers they have the potential to be if they’re switching back and forth between starter and reliever, or do they need to pick a role and stick with it? If you’ve watched both of these guys pitch in starting roles and in relieving roles, each of them has two different sides. Depending on the role, they’re throwing different pitches at different speeds and oftentimes even their attitude appears different. Is it possible to go back and forth between these two personalities and still develop as a pitcher?
If both of these guys stay healthy this year, it will be interesting to see what happens and who can step up their game the most.
Ok, which rotation is better? The Yankees with Sabathia, Burnett, Vasquez, Pettitte, Hughes. The Rays with Shields, Garza, Price, Niemann, Davis. Or the Red Sox with Lester, Beckett, Lackey, Buchholz, Wakefield (Matsuzaka could replace Buchholz or Wakefield when healthy).
ReplyDeleteI'd have to think it really is a toss up between the three, but I'd slightly favor the Red Sox in my mind without doing any numbers. The Rays are probably the worst rotation of the three, but probably better than 20 other teams.
I think I agree with your assessment. Looking at just the starting rotation, I'd give the Red Sox a slight edge. It's tough to call because you really don't know what's going to happen with a few of those guys. Buchholz, Dice K, Vasquez and Hughes are big question marks.
ReplyDelete