PLANNING ON KIDS

S Yankees to lean on crop of young arms

TOP ME if you have heard this one before: The Yankees are about to rely on a class of young starters.

Remember when Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy were going to form the core of a dynamic rotation, followed not long after by the Killer Bs — Manuel Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman.

Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Pineda and Masahiro Tanaka all were 26 or under for the 2015 Yankees, with the theory their high-end stuff would provide the cornerstone for a power rotation. But Eovaldi, after needing Tommy John surgery, was released by the Yankees, Pineda will enter his walk year in 2017, and Tanaka can opt out after the season.

So the Yankees are going to be at the mercy of another wave of neophytes both next year and in the near future, particularly because their goal of getting under the luxury tax in 2018 has them resistant to adding a significant salaried starter or trading big prospects to acquire one.

General manager Brian Cashman began this offseason wanting to upgrade his rotation, but suspecting it might not occur because a) the free-agent starter market was abysmal, and b) that meant trade requests for top starters would be substantial. Chris Sale, for example, ended up with the Red Sox with the cost being a trade package headed by Yoan Moncada (arguably the No. 1 prospect in the sport).

The Yanks, meanwhile, have yet to add even a back-end starter. Thus, their 2017 starting options currently separate into the two categories with which they ended 2016: veteran physical red flags in Tanaka, Pineda and CC Sabathia, and unproven entities Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Bryan Mitchell and Luis Severino, with Adam Warren expected to be stretched out as a starter in spring but likely to end up back in the bullpen.

The Yankees’ inability to successfully turn over their rotation with youth reflects a sustained period of poor draft/development. There were 170 pitchers who started at least 12 games in 2016. Of those 170, the Reds with two signed the fewest of any MLB team to their first pro contracts out of the draft or international market. The Yankees had three (Kennedy, Tanaka and Ivan Nova), tied with the A’s and Tigers for the next fewest. Of those only Kennedy was drafted.

The Yanks believe they have upgraded their drafting and development protocols in recent years, and a next wave of starters with Chance Adams and James Kaprielian might show that. The Yanks also tout Justus Sheffield, a key return in the Andrew Miller trade. In 2017, though — at least at the outset — the Yanks will need a minimum of two from Cessa, Green, Mitchell and Severino to prove competent or better starters.

Each made at least five starts last year, marking just the second time in 22 years the Yanks had four pitchers in their 25-and-under season make at least five starts each. I recently asked pitching coach Larry Rothschild to dissect each candidate and what needs to be done for them to take a positive step:

Luis Cessa

Cashman was criticized last offseason for turning Justin Wilson into two prospects without a great statistical history. But Cessa and Green both gave hints that they could start in the majors and, at worst, should be longterm power relievers.

Cessa, by far, is the pitcher within this group whose reputation has come the furthest. He was 4-4 with a 4.35 ERA. He was a shortstop who did not become a pitcher in the Mets organization until 2011, and his athleticism and aptitude suggest someone still learning and growing. In particular last season, he developed a more than useful slider.

Rothschild: “The slider helped tremendously. I think he has a chance to get better and better as he gets more experience locating his pitches. He still has the chance to have a really good changeup. He can be a four-pitch pitcher with location. His improvements can be greater than a normal pitcher because he has not pitched that long. His stuff really took a jump [in 2016]. He is very coachable and a hard worker. He has some real good intangibles.”

Chad Green

He went 2-4 with a 4.73 ERA, but his highs (particularly an 11-strikeout, no-walk game vs. Toronto) were impressive. His fastball really seems to jump on hitters, but he needs more to be a successful starter.

Rothschild: “Overall, it was a really good year for him, especially in the minors [1.52 ERA, 16 TripleA starts]. He is a fastball-dominant guy. His second and third pitches were not there yet. He has a lot of work to do and he is learning a cutter, which has a chance to be a really good pitch. It didn’t play for us because it was mostly thrown

for balls. But I think he will command it in the future. His changeup is a work in progress. He has a chance to really command his fastball. He has shown the ability to get it down in the zone and also hit corners to lefties and righties.”

Bryan Mitchell

He had an outstanding spring and was earmarked for an important swing role before needing toe surgery. Mitchell returned late to go 1-2 with a 3.24 ERA. He has a power fastball/breaking ball combo that has long tantalized the Yanks (and other teams). But can he pitch successfully when either is off a little bit?

Rothschild: “He has to command his fastball better. He’s got a really good curveball and his cutter came into play quite a bit. It is about repeating his delivery. If he does, I think he has a chance to be a good starting pitcher.”

Luis Severino

After his impressive 2015 rookie cameo in a pennant race, he came in with a rotation job locked up and was one of the most disappointing players of 2016. He was 0-8 with an 8.50 ERA in 11 starts. The saving grace was an 0.39 ERA in 11 relief outings that raised the possibility of a kind of Betances II — a guy without the consistency to start, but who might be able to dominate multiple innings as a reliever.

Rothschild: “Everyone talks about the need for him to develop a changeup, but the most important thing is he needs to command his fastball better. He can throw great pitches to the glove side down to righties, but it is not repeatable and in the majors mistakes show up. The changeup is an important pitch, but if he locates his fastball with his breaking ball, he will pitch well.

“My emphasis at the end of the year with him was locate your fastball better, repeat your delivery and make sure your breaking ball morphs back into a harder breaking ball. I certainly look at him as a starter. But to be a starter, improvements need to be made.

“If the improvements are made, he will be really good. In 2015, he was marginally better — it was like relief [in 2016] in that he overpowered with his fastball and got chases on his breaking ball and hitters hadn’t seen him a lot. The league will catch up to you if you do not make adjustments.”