Yanks look to vet CC as No. 2
TAMPA — The Yankees are turning to CC Sabathia as their No. 2 starter.
Joe Girardi said Sabathia will follow ace Masahiro Tanaka in the 2017 rotation following the 36-year-old lefty’s penultimate start of the spring on Friday against the Phillies.
“CC had a pretty good year last year when you look at what he did,” Girardi said.
Sabathia went 9-12 with a 3.91 ERA in 30 starts in 2016. He had gone 23-27 with a 4.81 ERA in 69 starts from 2013-15, but was able to reinvent himself as a pitcher, utilizing a cutter the way good friend Andy Pettitte used to late in his career.
During the offseason, Sabathia underwent a cleanout procedure on his knee. He continues to exercise in the weight room and the training room, hopeful that he’ll be able to hold up physically in his 17th majorleague season. “I feel like I’m healthy, so I’m excited about that,” Sabathia said.
After giving up two runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings in the Yankees’ 3-2 walk-off exhibition victory, his spring ERA stands at 6.75.
“I’ll get one more start (in the spring) and then I’ll be ready to go,” said Sabathia, who wants to fine-tune his backdoor slider. “We’re starting to pack up, you see all the boxes out and you’re just ready to get the season going.”
In a perfect world, Sabathia would be a back-end-of-therotation starter at this point in his career. But on this team, he needs to have a bigger role. Michael Pineda has been inconsistent as a Yankee but he will follow Sabathia, giving Girardi a righty-lefty-right combination at the top. Then it gets murky. Heading into spring training, Luis Severino, Bryan Mitchell, Adam Warren, Luis Cessa and Chad Green were the five candidates competing for the final two spots. But none have been particularly impressive.
Mitchell has arguably been the best of the bunch. Cessa, who disappointed during the spring, was reassigned to minorleague camp. “His command was off all spring, that’s the bottom line,” Girardi said. “That’s what we have him working on. And he just needs to get back on track.”
Severino was seen as a favorite, but he’s been inconsistent. On Friday, he did manage to throw three perfect innings in relief while striking out five. Severino felt he did a good job of commanding his fastball and trying to be “on top of the ball.” He doesn’t know what his fate holds. “I can’t control that,” he said. “But I can control what I do on the mound, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Warren will make the team regardless, either as a starter or reliever. The rest of the candidates have minorleague options.
Jordan Montgomery, a 24-year-old lefty pitching prospect, has put himself in the mix with back-to-back tremendous outings.
The Yankees, however, will presumably not require a fifth starter until the middle of April because of off days.
Brian Cashman had hoped to add another starter, but the prices in free agency and the trade market were too steep. James Kaprielian could be a contributor later this season, with Chance Adams and Justus Sheffield also continuing to develop in the minors.
Until then, the Yankees will have to make do with what they have.