The Yankees only have a handful of true competitions in this year’s spring camp – final bench spot, final rotation spot, and now two or three bullpen jobs – but a half-dozen players locked into those battles got a chance to shine on Sunday.
For Mike Tauchman, a 1-for-3 Sunday has him now hitting .222 on the spring, second-best of the handful of players he seems to be competing with for the final bench spot – but even though he has gone from depth pickup in 2019 to key piece in 2020 to seeming competitor in 2021, nothing has changed for him.
“I don’t worry about competition. It’s not like you walk in and go, ‘it’s me or you, man,’ that’s just a good way to make yourself crazy. There are certain things I’m trying to work on in spring training, and that’s infinitely more important to me than being worried about some competition,” Tauchman said Sunday. “There’s a season that starts in two weeks, and my job is to get ready for that. I’ve felt pretty good here the last few days after making some little adjustments, and I played seven innings today for the first time. My focus is just continuing that progression.”
Tauchman made some adjustments to his swing this winter after hitting just .242 without a homer last season, and he feels that it’s so far, so good as he tries to get to a point where he can help the Yankees with his new mechanics.
“I was happy early, in some live BPs and early games. I got a little jumpy after that, but the good thing is that I feel like it was a little easier for me to recognize that and make the adjustments to get back where I need to be,” Tauchman said. “The last couple games, my balance has been better, and I’ve been able to stay on pitches and use the whole field.”
Veteran Derek Dietrich, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee on a minor-league deal, understands exactly how Tauchman feels as he goes through what is now his 11th spring.
“It’s a work in progress for me, personally, just trying to get the routing going. I’ve had good and bad springs, so it’s nothing I’m not accustomed to,” Dietrich said. “I just continue to work and get things going towards Opening Day. You just have to do the best you can no matter what position you’re in.”
Dietrich may be a longer shot than some despite his versatility, but no matter what, his focus is 100 percent on being the best player he can be – which is, as it seems, the Yankees way.
“I was joking around with Gary Sanchez the other day, and he said, ‘I have to win the job,’ and that’s your best catcher saying that,” Dietrich said. “That’s the attitude you want; everyone is trying to do their absolute best to be the best they can for the team. That’s what I’ve always focused on.”
On the pitching side, Nick Nelson threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Deivi Garcia and remains unscored upon in now 6 1/3 frames.
“I’ve been throwing great; still working on the off-speed a little bit, but it’s going well,” Nelson said after Sunday’s game. “Last year I didn’t throw my curve, and the slider I threw was more of a curveball, but I worked pretty hard this winter to get some separation between the two.”
Aaron Boone has been impressed with what he has seen this spring, and while Nelson is a starter by trade, he’s a deep option on that chart – all of his outings have come in relief this spring – but a bullpen role might be within reach, and he’s ready if so.
“It’s pretty crazy, to be honest with you; I didn’t have a good rookie ball year in 2016 and wasn’t that great in 2017, so to be where I am right now, it’s so unreal to even dream of,” Nelson said. “I like coming out of the bullpen, and if that’s what the Yankees need me to do, I’m all for it. I attack hitters the same way and my game plan is still the same.”
And that brings us to Lucas Luetge, whose chances of making the team may have widened when Zack Britton was lost for at least a few months with elbow surgery. The lefty hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2015, but he has been dominant this spring, with 11 strikeouts and just three baserunners allowed in five innings so far.
“My spring has gone better than expected; you always want to come in and start good, but I didn’t know it would be this good,” Luetge said. “Most of the games, I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes, and my ball is moving a lot in the zone, which is when I generally have success.”
Injuries are never the way anyone wants to earn a spot, and nothing anyone can control, either, but for Luetge, the mindset remains the same no matter how many spots may be open.
“I’m still just trying to do my thing and focusing on pitching, and trying not to get ahead of myself,” Luetge said. “I’m going to have to start trying to extend my pitch count a little bit, and try to not think about it. That’s easier said than done, but we have a couple weeks left, and regardless of where I end up, I have to make sure I’m ready so I can perform.”
And if he makes the team, it will be another case where the Yankees’ belief in analytics – in this case, Luetge’s excellent spin rate – may have unearthed another gem.
“That’s I think what stood out to them, and when I came into camp, they told me to just keep pounding the zone and trust that my stuff is going to play.”
With two weeks left to go, it is, as they say, still anyone’s ballgame.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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