2016 New York Yankees Spring Training Broadcast Schedule, What to Watch For

If you’re as big a baseball fanatic as we are, we have some exciting news that will be like opening presents on Christmas morning!

The YES Network has officially released the full list of New York Yankees Spring Training baseball games that will be televised live!

[table id=2 /]

*Denotes split squad games

Circle these dates Yankee fans! We will finally get a live look in at the 2016 New York Yankees as they ready themselves for opening day on Monday, April 4th at 1:05 pm when they take on the Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros in the Bronx.

Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Yankees camp on Thursday, February 18th with their first workout scheduled the following day. The rest of the teams is scheduled to report on Wednesday, February 24th.

The team is scheduled to work out in it’s entirety for the first time on Thursday, February 25th.

What to watch for in Spring Training:

1. What is the starting rotation as we head into April?

On paper it seems as if the Yankees starting rotation is set with Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and CC Sabathia respectively. However, given this particular staff, you can never rule out the possibility of injuries or spring training set backs. The biggest question mark will surround Ivan Nova and his ability to command his pitches. After a poor showing in his return from tommy john surgery last season, Nova was demoted to the Yankees bullpen before being recalled to the starting rotation when Eovaldi wen’t down with elbow inflammation. Other factors to look into are the health of Masahiro Tanaka, Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia and his knee-brace and the healthy competition of young Yankees pitchers trying to earn a rotation spot including Bryan Mitchell and the newly acquired Luis Cessa.

2. Who will start the season in the Yankees bullpen?

For now it looks like the Yankees will keep the three-headed monster of Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman in tact to start the season, but what about the rest of the bullpen?

The Yankees parted ways with two key bullpen pieces this off-season in Adam Warren and Justin Wilson, so they’ll look for their young guys like James Pazos, Nick Rumbelow and Jacob Lindgren to step up and earn bullpen spots in spring training. The healthy competition will also include the plethora of mystery bullpen arms the Yankees collected all winter long, including Kirby Yates, Vinnie Pestano and Tyler Olson.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see whether or not Chasen Shreve has regained his form after struggling miserably in the second half of his rookie season with the Yankees.

3. Just how far away are the Yankees top prospects?

Though minor leaguers are sporadically sent to their minor league teams as Spring Training inches closer and closer to Opening Day, it’s still exciting to see them get some action against major league competition early on in Spring Training. Of the Yankees Top 30 Prospects rated by MLB Pipe Line, only a hand full of them are estimated to reach the minors in 2016, including top prospect Aaron Judge as well as Gary Sanchez, Luis Cessa, and Ben Gamel, so they’ll likely spend the most time with the Yankees in Spring Training before being reassigned to either Scranton or Trenton.

For more news and updates moving forward be sure to follow us right here at Yanks Go Yard throughout Spring Training!