Down south, just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico, snow is a myth. Sunshine and baseball are reality.
Northeast Pennsylvania might have spent Tuesday preparing to shovel driveways and scrape windshields, but in Florida, the Yankees spent the day preparing for another season.
Tuesday was the official spring training report date for Yankees’ pitchers and catchers, so no matter what the weather outside tells us, it’s time to think about baseball.
For the most part, this is a remarkably familiar group of Yankees convening at Legends Field in Tampa. The outfield and all but one of the infield front runners are returning starters, the top three spots in the rotation are basically set in stone with familiar faces and Mariano Rivera is back to close games.
Key jobs, though, are still up for grabs, particularly in the bullpen and at the back of the rotation.
With pitchers and catchers already in camp, and the team planning its first full-roster workout for February 20, these are the Yankees’ major league spring training storylines worth following.
Fourth and fifth starters
For now, it seems Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano are the heavy front runners for the back of the rotation, but neither is a sure thing. Igawa was signed out of Japan and will be playing his first season in America. Pavano is trying to come back from a series of injuries that forced him to miss all of last season.
Igawa’s adjustment and Pavano’s health are arguably the most pressing issues in Yankees camp.
If either struggles, the Yankees will have a host of Triple-A candidates to consider for the big league rotation, primarily prospects Philip Hughes and Humberto Sanchez.
For now, though, the jobs are Igawa’s and Pavano’s to lose.
Pettitte’s return
A steady starter and postseason juggernaut for the Yankees for nine years, left-hander Andy Pettitte is back in pinstripes after three years in Houston. There will be no shortage of love tossed toward the remarkably popular southpaw.
Although his 4.20 ERA last season was his worst since 2000, Pettitte is basically guaranteed a spot at the top of the rotation with Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina. The only real question surrounding those three is whether they can pitch well enough to carry a rotation that might be lacking in the fourth and fifth starting spots.
Bullpen wide open
After Rivera, the Yankees have plenty of relief options, and on Tuesday they added one more to the mix by signing lefty Ron Villone to a minor league contract.
Counting Rivera and Villone, the Yankees have 14 pitchers in camp who pitched in major league relief last season. They likely will carry seven in the bullpen.
Villone joins Mike Myers and Sean Henn as left-handed options. Brian Bruney, Kyle Farnsworth, Scott Proctor and Luis Vizcaino seem to be the front-runners from the right side. Injury is all that would keep Rivera from returning to his role as future Hall of Fame closer.
Another name to know is Chris Britton, who was acquired from Baltimore in the offseason trade for Jaret Wright. Last year the 24-year-old had a 3.35 ERA in 52 relief appearances for the Orioles.
First base platoon
For now, it seems the Yankees are set on carrying two first basemen, not counting Jason Giambi, who is penciled in strictly as a designated hitter.
Newcomer Doug Mientkiewicz, a defensive stalwart, will serve as a left-handed hitting portion of the first base platoon along with one of two right-handers, either returning Yankee Andy Phillips or Rule 5 draft pick Josh Phelps.
Phillips turns 30 in April and should be considered the favorite after serving as a solid reserve for the Yankees last season, but Phelps is a year younger and actually has more than twice as many career major league games to his credit. With 57 big league home runs, Phelps has enough power to crack the roster, but Phillips seems to be a better defensive player.
Any surprises?
Maybe not, but if a minor league candidate bursts into the big league picture, it will be huge news.
Right now, the only real position battles seem to be for a seldom-used backup catcher and for that right-handed first base platoon spot. Otherwise, it’s going to take outstanding numbers for a position player to jump onto the radar.
Some possible candidates: Outfielders Kevin Reese and Kevin Thompson hit well as Yankees reserves last year but seem headed back to the minors if the team carries only one reserve outfielder, and shortstops Andy Cannizaro and Alberto Gonzalez are extreme longshots to beat Miguel Cairo for the utility infielder job.
Money, money, money
Rivera and Alex Rodriguez are guaranteed spots on the big league roster, but be prepared to hear plenty about Rivera’s pending free agency and Rodriguez’s option to opt out of his contract after this season.
