40-Man Roster Players:
- Andrew Brackman (injured)
- Joba Chamberlain
- Phil Hughes
- Kei Igawa
- Jeff Karstens
- Ian Kennedy
- Jeffrey Marquez
- Mike Mussina
- Carl Pavano (injured)
- Andy Pettitte
- Humberto Sanchez (injured)
- Chien-Ming Wang
Non-Roster Invitees:
As I said yesterday, there's a lot more going on with the pitchers than the catchers this spring. While the majority of the intrigue will be in the bullpen, there's still some questions to be answered in the rotation. The top three spots are, of course, set with Wang, Pettitte and Hughes. The fourth spot is ostensibly Mussina's, and he won't lose the job in Tampa, but considering how awful he was in the second half of the season, he'll be on a short leash come April.
The big question for now, however, is whether Joba Chamberlain is in the rotation or the bullpen. Hank Steinbrenner has said unequivically that Chamberlain is a starter, and I've got no doubt that that's where his future lies, but I don't think he's ready for a full season as a major league starter. Last year he threw 116 innings, most of them in the minor leagues, where he never had to struggle. If he starts all season for the Yankees, his workload will increase by at least half. That would be a terrible risk to take on the health of a very valuable player. Both Chamberlain and the Yankees would be much better served if he started the year in the bullpen and moved into the rotation a few months into the season. In the meantime, Ian Kennedy can take the final spot in the rotation.
While Chamberlain and Kennedy seem to be the only serious candidates for the fifth starter's job, that doesn't mean you should ignore the rest of the starters. If the Yankees learned anything in 2007, it's that there's no telling how many pitchers you're going to end up needing. Jeff Karstens figures to be the first one called upon in an emergency, but strong spring performances by Kei Igawa (who the Yankees have invested a lot of money in) or prospects Alan Horne and Jeffrey Marquez could put one of them at the front of the line.
Of course no matter who ends up taking the mound, I'm certain Carl Pavano will step up and pull his hamstring.
1 comment:
It's pretty pretty well stated at this point that Joba Chamberlain is going to start in the bullpen this year.
Despite that, they're having him work out as a starter in Spring Training. In order to reach the limit they've set on him, however, he's going to have to start in the pen.
I highly doubt the Yankees would want to start him in the rotation, and move him to the Pen at the end of the year, all to have to possibly bring him back to starting for the playoffs. Horne and company have some great opportunities this year.
You should see if you can get on down to Scranton this year, I expect Horne to make an appearance here sooner than later.
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