Yankees’ News: Esmil Rogers Impresses

The New York Yankees beat the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday 2-1. The team combined for nine hits in the third Spring Training game. The offense has not exploded yet but the bats are alive; it is just a matter of stringing hits together that will make the difference.

However, it wasn’t the bats that were the story on Thursday. Esmil Rogers made his opening statement in his case for a roster spot. He was impressive all around and definitely showed what he is capable of. It is hard to be critical in Spring Training because this is the time players take to work on things. Batters make adjustments to their swings and approach at the plate while pitchers tweak their mechanics.

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That being said, Rogers was effective plain-and-simple. He only gave up one hit in two innings of work, but the more impressive fact was the Pirates inability to put good wood on the ball. They were swinging over the top of all of is pitches. He didn’t just work off of one pitch, he had them all going and that was clear.

Rogers’ most impressive pitch today was his fastball. He located it well up, down, in, out and even used it as a set up pitch for his offspeed. Manager Joe Girardi commented on Rogers start, “I thought he used all his pitches, he was down in the zone.”

The Yankees acquired Rogers off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays last season. He had a strong finish to the 2014 season and the Yankees gave him a one-year deal worth $1.48 million to avoid arbitration. They will consider using Rogers in a similar way that they have used Adam Warren. He is competing for spot starts as well as for a spot in the bullpen. The Yankees will need to see more of what they saw on Thursday to sway them to keeping him on the roster.

Next: Tyler Austin Goes Deep

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