With Luis Severino out for the year, the Yankees are looking at plenty of in-house options to be their fifth starter. And the experience levels vary for the candidates.
Of those on the 40-man roster, Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loasiga have somewhat significant major league time, while Michael King only made his major league debut on the final weekend last season.
There are several other good-looking prospects in camp, including the much-heralded Deivi Garcia (who is on the 40-man roster) and Clarke Schmidt (a non-roster invitee).
Albert Abreu, Luis Gil, Luis Medina, Nick Nelson and Miguel Yajure are all on the 40-man roster, but Nelson is the only one who has pitched above AA.
The non-roster invitees with big league experience include David Hale, Nick Tropeano, and Chad Bettis.
While the Yankees have spoken glowingly about some of the young arms mentioned above, I asked Aaron Boone if he preferred experience for the last rotation spot if all things were equal.
"Probably," Boone said. "But sometimes the skill set and where they are…you push yourself into the picture a little bit more. At the end of the day this is the big leagues and we're playing for a lot. So if guys leapfrog guys, so be it."
So the talent and good results could push the younger pitchers forward, but the long-term picture certainly factors in when dealing with potentially short-term fixes. Remember, the Yankees are hoping James Paxton could be back by late May and Domingo German will complete his domestic violence suspension in early June.
"There's always the development portion that comes into play with these guys," Boone said. "And especially guys that you feel like have pretty high ceilings or have a chance to have really good big league careers. You've got to be able to (balance) the short-term with the long-term, and those things absolutely are part of the decision making for guys."
Before Friday's game, Boone checked off a number of items that would indicate whether or not Garcia's development would make him major league ready. The list could certainly apply to any one of the young prospects in camp.
"Is he commanding his secondary pitches, is he throwing this fastball where he wants to?" Boone said. "If you're behind in the count, do you have the ability to get back in it with something off-speed, but then the fastball command as well."
And beyond measurable physical elements are the intangibles. Near the top of the list with pitchers, that thing often referred to with the old-school phrase 'mound presence.'
"I think that's an important part of it, a big part of it, and something we look at and value," Boone said. "There's a confidence to you, there's a feel to you, there's a pace to you. There's an ability to make adjustments in different situations."
"In a way, command can even fall into there," Boone added. "The ability in a situation to lean on a couple different pitches that you can go to. Having a feel for who you're facing in hitters and those kinds of things."
These are the kind of things that come with experience. So while there is considerable excitement about the talent level of pitchers like Garcia and Schmidt in particular, perhaps they—and the Yankees—are better served by having them gain more experience before relying on them to fill rotation spots in the majors.
It's not unusual for the young pitching prospects to get lots of attention early in spring training. That's when you have to remind yourself that the calendar still says February and usually, a player doesn't earn a big league roster spot in February. It takes some experience to learn that too.
Follow Sweeny on Twitter at @YankeesWFAN
