The Yankees optioned Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske to Triple-A on Saturday, whittling down the candidates for the final spots on the Yankees’ staff even more. With just one week and eight games to go – come 4 p.m. or so next Monday, Spring Training is over – there are only a few chances left to impress and earn the five or so open spots on the team.
Barring injury, the Yankees’ front four is set in the rotation with Cole, Kluber, Taillon, and Montgomery, with one spot open at the back end. Kluber and Taillon have seemingly answered their early question marks, but heading into camp, the back-end questions were how would Domingo German look, what would Deivi Garcia do with his first legitimate chance, and how could Michael King and others fit into the equation.
With the race truly down to three, let’s take a look at what camp has brought so far, and make a prediction on who starts the season as the No. 5.
CANDIDATES
-Domingo German: 3 GS/9 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 16 K
-Deivi Garcia: 4 GS/11 IP, 2 ER (3R), 5 H, 6 BB, 12 K
-Mike King: 5 G/2 GS/13 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 6 BB, 2 HBP, 12 K
PREDICTION: German
German and Garcia should have two more outings each – German is pitching a live BP session Monday while Jameson Taillon starts the game against the Phillies, while Garcia would be lined up to go Wednesday – while King likely has one outing left after pitching Saturday night, but this is probably a two-horse race if not already settled.
Garcia has pitched well and made it a competition, but German has, over what would be one full game’s worth of activity, pitched a five-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts. Even manager Aaron Boone has been surprised at the lack of rust German has shown, and with two outings left to get his innings and pitch count up, the righty should be fully built up for opening day.
Boone said Sunday that German going a week between starts wasn’t “necessarily to line him up” but a function of the team schedule, but we can read between the lines: Garcia has pitched every five days, and keeping German on a five-day schedule from here on out lines him up perfectly to pitch some sort of simulated game before making his first start on April 6 – the first time the Yankees need a fifth starter. Garcia, likewise, would pitch Wednesday and Monday, and be ready to roll as the backup plan as soon as April 3 – the Yankees’ second game – if something happens the final week of camp.
Best case scenario: German is the fifth starter, and Garcia goes to the alternate site to lie in wait until needed while also keeping his innings down. King, meanwhile, could steal a bullpen spot, but Boone noted that King has a lot of uses (he has appeared three times in relief this spring), and he might be better suited riding the “Scranton Shuttle” early on in case of emergency.
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