So what do you think so far?

By: Mike Sommer

As of tomorrow, 2 weeks to go until the season starts.

So what do you think so far?

One good thing (knocks on wood) no injuries. No Dice-K with a stiff neck, no Kerry Wood (out 6 weeks with a back strain) no Brandon Webb. So far all is healthy in Yankees camp.

I don’t worry much about the results. After all, games up to now will often be lost (or won) by players who are minor-league bound. The veterans, like A-Rod, Jeter, Pettitte, Posada, Mo…they know by now what pace to take in spring training in order to stay healthy and be ready to go come opening day. Now if Jeter or A-Rod is hitting .150 come May 1st, then I’ll worry.

It’s interesting to see different people panic already, saying so and so stinks, should be cut, never should have picked him up, etc. March and September make a lot of liars out of a lot of stats.

So far, to me, mission accomplished. No one is injured. The candidates for the #5 slot, have, for the most part, performed well. Joba and Gaudin seem to be behind, but Hughes has done well, and Aceves (until today’s last two innings) and Mitre have been very good. It’s good to have a tough decision because of good performances by most, if not all.

Some pickups have impressed. Granted, you don’t want to see too much of a Jon Weber or Colin Curtis because it would mean that a Gardner or Swisher is injured, but it’s nice to see them making names for themselves now in case they are needed later.

People are worried about the opening day roster, thinking so and so stinks, shouldn’t be there, etc. Doing so underestimates Girardi or any other manager. The thing about managing is this—adjusting on the fly. Do you honestly believe that Girardi and Cashman won’t adjust as the season plays out?

Girardi, because of the Yankees’ payroll, can easily be painted into a corner as a push-button manager. With a Teixeira, Pettitte, CC, Mo, Jeter, Alex…ok, but let’s remember something.

Last year, Girardi had to adjust. Cody Ransom did NOT adequately fill in for Alex during the first month of the season. The bullpen triumvirate of Veras, Edwar and Albaladejo came up lacking. For a time in May, Posada and Molina were on the DL at the same time. Girardi adjusted. He and Tony Pena worked with a rookie in Cervelli. They dumped Veras, Edwar and Albaladejo. They went to a David Robertson. They had Melancon for a short time, then converted Hughes into a reliever (and how HUGE was that?). They somehow worked around a “floating 5th man” of Wang, Hughes, Gaudin and Mitre. They dealt with needing to rest Alex every so often because of his hip.

So, so far, I think this spring training has been successful, records be damned. No injuries, some unexpected surprises (Aceves, Mitre, Curtis, Weber). I like the way the rotation is shaping up, no matter who is at #5 and who goes to the bullpen. I think that CC/AJ/Andy/Javy and probably Hughes is solid. I like having three long men who each could start in Park/Mitre and Aceves. Solid there. A backend of Marte/Joba/Robertson and Mo I have no qualms over. Maybe a second lefty, but hopefully Ring or Logan pitch like they have in spring training (well). A Melancon who can be called up in midseason if need be (as well as Ring or Logan). I don’t know what happens to Juan Miranda, for he has Teixeira, Swisher and Nick Johnson ahead of him. Trade bait along with Gaudin? Kevin Russo has had a decent spring. Can he prove that he can play SS in order to challenge Pena for utility infielder? Romine and Montero may not be ready yet, but each hasn’t done badly this spring.

So far, I think it’s a nice spring training. Some kinks (who is in CF, Granderson or Gardner?; who is the #5 starter) need to be worked out but I have faith that Girardi, Pena and the rest of the coaches will do so. Am I panicking? No.

I like what I see so far. We’ll see if I’m right at the end of April. We will see what kind of start the Yanks get off to.

I guess my bracket is shot. I had Kansas losing in the title game. Ouch.

Sommer Frieze is a blog dedicated (mainly) to the Yankees. I'll touch on other things as well and the blog (as much as possible) will not only have Yankees news but also follow the Yanks' farm teams. Come visit at Sommer Frieze.

Share This Article

No Comments

No comments yet.

Comment On This Article

You must be logged in to post a comment.