Yankees Announce First Six Starting Pitchers of Spring Training

With the start of Grapefruit League action only two days away, the Yankees announced their first group of starting pitchers versus opponents.

This Friday afternoon, the competition for the remaining two spots in the Yankees starting rotation finally gets underway. After months of speculation, we’ll get our first glimpse at some of the young arms vying to avoid the bullpen.

Friday’s affair against the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa will feature hard-throwing 25-year-old right-hander Bryan Mitchell. Last spring, Mitchell was on the fast-track for the Yankees’ starting rotation, going 2-0 with a 0.59 ERA before being struck on the foot by a line drive that kept him out of action for all but 46 innings of 2016.

The following day in Clearwater, Adam Warren will take the hill against those same Phillies. In his return to the Yanks as part of the return for Aroldis Chapman, Warren went 4-2 with a 3.26 ERA and 1.253 WHIP in 30.1 innings pitched.

Back home in Tampa on Sunday, the talented albeit inconsistent Luis Severino faces off against the Blue Jays. I for one am stoked to be attending this game — to see if Severino’s offseason interactions with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez begin to pay off on the scorecard.

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According to the New York Post:

Severino also lost 10 pounds since last season, and he is confident the newfound flexibility will help him put last year behind him.

The following Monday, Feb. 27, the Yankees head to Sarasota to square off against the Orioles. It’ll be the first competitive outing for Chad Green who finished last season on the disabled list with a strained ulnar collateral ligament and strained tendon in his right throwing elbow.

Before the injury, Green’s record was an upside down 2-4, but he showed a regular ability to strikeout hitters with a 10.2 K/9.

On Tuesday the 28th, a split squad affair pits Yankees ace and recently announced opening day starter Masahiro Tanaka against the Tigers in Tampa, while Luis Cessa heads to Ft. Myers to pitch against the preseason AL East favorite Red Sox.

Though Cessa only appeared in 17 games in 2016, nine of which were started, he showed legit signs of being an innings eater. In 70.1 innings pitched, Cessa only walked 14 batters for a 1.8 BB/9.

Without a presumptive favorite for the back-end of the rotation, every pitch will be crucial for those men who wish to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. When asked by Newsday, as to who he was leaning towards headed into camp, manager Joe Girardi responded:

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“I don’t really have any favorites going in, I don’t,” Joe Girardi said. “I try to be completely open-minded when you look at this.”