Yankees: Four Takeaways From Spring Training 2017 So Far

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The Yankees, even with four weeks remaining in Spring Training, already find themselves in a position where they can begin to sort things out at least internally, with regards to the team they will take North to start the 2017 season.

The Yankees have many players in their Spring Training camp who were they playing for another organization, could crack the starting lineup or pitching rotation. And if this year were next season when the likes of C C Sabathia, unless his contract is renewed, and Michael Pineda, who will be a free agent following this season, would no longer be in the rotation and the pitching staff would be wide open for the young talent to make the team.

And by then, maybe Brett Gardner will (finally) have been traded, and Jacoby Ellsbury would be put out to pasture collecting his well-unearned money. But to have to choose now and come up with your best 25 players is quite a challenge for the Yankees.

Luckily, these things usually have a way of sorting themselves out, and the cream rises to the top making decisions, at least for the moment easier. Injuries to key players can also become an unwanted factor, as in the case of Tyler Austin who is in the middle of rehabbing an injured foot. Overall, so far so good for the Yankees in that department. But, you never know.

With the ungodly length of Spring Training this year, the Yankees still have ample time to sort things out. But at the same time, there are a few things that stand out from what we’ve seen thus far from players who are competing for jobs.

It would be foolhardy to say these are a “lock,” but each of them is darn close to that. See if you agree.

The Yankees Are Committed To Their Veterans

No matter what happens the rest of the way in Spring Training, the Yankees have already determined that Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Chase Headley, Didi Gregorius, and Starlin Castro will be in the starting lineup on a regular basis.

And on the pitching side, C C Sabathia, Michael Pineda and, of course, Masahiro Tanaka own spots in the starting rotation, while Aroldis Chapman, Tyler Clippard, and Adam Warren will be mainstays out of the bullpen.

For one thing, Joe Girardi prefers it this way. He’ll refer to it as a “balance” between the old and the new, but what he’s actually saying is that he believes in the older guys and he relishes the fact that he doesn’t need to babysit them. They’re pros who report for work every day ready to suit up and play, and he can count on them to help with the babysitting by providing leadership and mentoring of the Baby Bombers.

Gardner has already stepped up and said he wants to be one of those leaders in the clubhouse, and Sabathia has said the same thing. And after all, Garder does have that prized corner locker in the clubhouse now.

Ellsbury is another story, but one the Yankees just have to live with. Already, he’s sounding a little testy these days, appearing to be unhappy with all the bad press he’s getting. He is what he is, or more aptly, isn’t.

Maybe The Matt Holiday Signing Wasn’t Such A Good Idea

How could the Yankees, or any other organization for that matter, not want Matt Holiday on their team. He’s a consummate professional who wakes up in the morning getting base hits rolling out of bed, and he does it all quietly and with little fanfare.

With the tandem of Greg Bird, who’s looking more and more like the keeper he was expected to be, getting the bulk of playing time and Chris Carter manning first base when Bird isn’t in the lineup, the Yankees may not have the need they thought they did.

The DH spot is also clogged. Carter will get the bulk of those at-bats, and Gary Sanchez will get the rest on the two days a week he isn’t catching. Aaron Judge will also be in the mix as a DH when Joe Girardi needs to get Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks some at-bats.

It’s Carter, though, who is upsetting things. The Yankees signed him on the cheap mainly as insurance against the possibility that Greg Bird would have a reoccurrence of his injury, or need more time to get back into baseball following a full year off from the game.

Either Carter or Holliday could become potential candidates for a trade if Girardi can’t find enough playing time for everyone.

Holliday would yield the most, but he is more valuable to the Yankees if a choice has to be made between the two because, with Holliday, you know what you are getting. Well, take that back because you also know what you are getting from Carter, which is a ton of strikeouts leaving runners on base when a hit the other way would have extended a Yankees rally.

Again, it’s a nice problem for a team to have. But it sure does complicate things.

Is Austin Romine The Best The Yankees Can Do

The role of a backup catcher usually belongs to a light-hitting veteran with good defensive skills who is not a complainer about the playing time he gets. That’s Austin Romine in a nutshell.

At the age of 28, His career line reads, .222 BA, .256 OBP, .586 OPS, and in 334 at-bats he has five home runs. It’s not much of a sample, but you get the idea.

The Yankees, to their credit, are sticking with Romine and there is no talk of his not keeping the backup role for the foreseeable future, but the question is, should there be.

Recently retired David Ross, who in many ways led the Cubs to a World Championship, made a career out of being a backup with numbers like Romine’s. But Ross also brought an element of leadership to a team that, while they weren’t necessarily looking for it, they certainly appreciated the contribution.

As of today, Austin Romine has not ascended to the level of being a leader on the Yankees. And it’s more like he’s on the team because, well, somebody has to be a backup catcher. Even so, it’s not as much a case of getting rid of Romine as it is finding an upgrade.

Improvement will not come anytime soon from the farm system. Of the Yankees Top 30 Prospects, you have to go all the way down to #26 where you’ll find Donny Sands, who with only 30 games of minor league experience is a long ways away from the Bronx.

For Romine, this year’s Spring Training has been more of the same (4 hits in 14 at-bats, no home runs, no RBI).

The Yankees can do better than this. Brian Cashman knows better than me, but here’s a list of the remaining free agent catchers provided by Spotrac that he can take a look at. Which leads to the next page.

Or better still, maybe the Yankees can do better with Kyle Higashioka, who has four hits this Spring in six trips to the plate…………

Brian Cashman Knows Best

If there’s one thing that should be clear in Hal Steinbrenner’s mind, it should be that he jumps at the chance to give Brian Cashman an extension when his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season.

The talent that Cashman has assembled for the Yankees is bearing witness in Spring Training that this guy, despite all the credit given to Theo Epstein and his Chicago Cubs, knows what he’s doing.

His shrewdness alone in pulling off the deal with Epstein that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs as a rental last July, in return for Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, and Adam Warren is proof of that. And then to turn around and sign Chapman away from the Cubs in November only serves to hammer home the point.

More from Yanks Go Yard

Seriously, has he made one mistake in the last year and a half? Maybe the Chris Carter deal was a bit of overkill, but even on that one, what did it cost the Yankees?

And despite outcries from everywhere, including some from this writer, to expedite Gleyber Torres through the farm system, Cashman is more than likely doing the smart thing instead of the expedient one. Torres will benefit from a full season in the minors, and this ultimately means that the Yankees and their fans will too.

Ditto all the other prospects in the system like McKinney, Jorge Mateo, Miguel Andujar, and even Mason Williams. They’ll only get better and their chances to make the team in 2018 will be significantly better than they are now.

Next: Yankees Fans: Are You Willing To Be Super Patient In 2017

Sometimes, as in the case of Cashman’s refusal to add a quality starter to the staff, either through free agency or a trade, can be frustrating and exasperating. But the one thing we can be sure of with Cashman is that he has a plan, and that plan is probably better than yours or mine.

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