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Yankees’ Editorial: The Bronx is Boiling: 25-Man Roster Style

By Wayne Cavadi

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Oh boy, IT’S HERE! Opening Day for Major League Baseball started last night, but the New York Yankees kick off the season today. They square off against a Toronto Blue Jays’ team that is already favorites in many eyes to take the AL East this season.

So, the 25-man roster is set and ready to head into battle in 2015. Did the Yankees make the right moves along the way? Do they have the best roster in place to contend for the AL East in 2015? The Bronx is Boiling and I need to blow some steam.

THE 25-MAN ROSTER

Skipper Joe Girardi had some tough decisions to make, and of course, yours truly doesn’t agree with all of them. Many Yankees’ fans don’t agree with one in particular, but the blame can’t be put on Girardi for that one. 

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A large majority of Yankees’ fans wanted Rob Refsnyder to break camp as the second baseman. I personally did not, as I was rooting for Jose Pirela to take the reigns. As I have said many times (if you remember #PrayForOpeningDay), none of it mattered.

When the Yankees went out and re-signed Stephen Drew, the competition was over. There was no way that the Yankees were going to sit a guy they just spent $5-million on over a rookie in Refsnyder who still does struggle defensively whether Yankees’ fans want to admit it or not. Pirela, despite his concussed injury from running into the centerfield wall, however should have been the Opening Day utility man.

Who the heck is Gregorio Petit? A career 30-year old Minor Leaguer with 151 career big league at bats? Pirela is just fine. Maybe he was a bit groggy from the injury, so you bench him for a game or two and avoid the DL. I just didn’t understand going out and making a trade for a guy with not much more MLB experience than Pirela. Pirela has shown not only that he can play multiple infield positions (he played third and first last year once moving from second base to make room for Refsnyder), but the outfield as well (albeit, centerfield a little more dangerously than right field).

If you have read my past rants, you know that I am a huge fan of the role players of Yankees’ past. Luis Sojo will forever be one of my favorite Yankees because someone like that is irreplaceable. I will root for Petit to succeed, but I felt like Pirela had the Next Sojo written all over him.

One decision I am happy with is that Girardi ended the Austin Romine Era. I have been a huge J.R. Murphy fan (here was my Yankees’ plan of action at catcher, notice how I suggested trading Cervelli for a pitcher before Cashman did it? Whenever you want an assistant Cash, I’m here of ya!) since last season.

Should McCann go down, the Yankees need someone behind the plate that can handle the pitching staff and hit. Romine could never hit. Ever. Not at the big league level, nor at the Minor League level. Murphy won’t rock your socks off offensively, but he’ll get the job done.

The big question mark for me is Adam Warren. I am a huge Adam Warren fan and I have been for a while. He excelled in the bullpen last year and was part of the Yankees answer to Kansas City’s three-headed monster. This situation reminds me a little bit of another promising Yankees’ bullpen arm that I too was a big fan of: Phil Hughes.

Most Yankees’ fans now don’t remember how good Hughes was. That’s because they turned on him when he struggled to make the jump from the bullpen to the rotation. What we found out last year in Minnesota, is that Phil Hughes is in fact as good as advertised (for those who want to argue, just realize the fact that he walked 16 batters last season). Unfortunately, the Yankees coaching staff, as they have shown with other young pitchers, are not the best in the conversion process.

Fans love Warren right now, and are excited to see him in the rotation, but if he doesn’t succeed, they will turn on him and run him out of town. Take a look at this:

2009 (his third season in the bigs) Phil Hughes:

8-3, 3.03 ERA, 3-for-6 in save opportunities, 10 strikeout per nine ratio, 1.12 WHIP

2014 (his third year in the bigs) Adam Warren:

3-6, 2.97 ERA, 3-for-6 in save opportunities, 8.7 strikeout per nine ratio, 1.11 WHIP

Frighteningly similar, eh? The next season, Hughes went 18-8 when the Yanks moved him to starter, but behind a poor ERA, a lowering strikeout ratio and a propensity to give up the long ball, it wasn’t good enough for Yankees’ fans. Hughes decline from that point was awful and when he left town, people were thrilled. I was not, and last year’s season showed why.

The Yankees MUST manage Warren correctly. If he is the fifth starter, then he must remain a starter. When Ivan Nova returns, and if the entire Yankees’ staff is still healthy, then a trade needs to be made. Bouncing Warren around will stunt the growing pains he will endure as a starter. If the choice is to move him back to the bullpen when Nova returns, then that is where he should stay.

There are a lot of question marks heading into 2015, and not myself or any Yankees’ expert can answer them. That, my friends, is why they play the game. Happy Opening Day!

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