New York Yankees’ pitching attack looking solid ahead of 2012 Spring Training – MLB News
In an interview with a top sports website, New York Yankees’ Manager Joe Girardi stated that Hiroki Kuroda will join Yankees’ C.C. Sabathia in a five man pitching unit on the opening day. Girardi seems very busy these days preparing for the upcoming Spring
Training.
The manager executed his game plans to perfection to help the Yankees give impressive results last season. However, considering the amount of money the club has spent players this offseason, he will find himself under more pressure.
Looking to make a strong and effective pitching attack, Girardi has also thrown Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia into the mix. Pineda is one of the most promising prospects in Major League Baseball right now. His efforts in the first
half of 2011 season have made him very famous among American League fans. Garcia and Hughes are likely to compete for the fifth starting rotation.
Kuroda, who agreed to a one year $10 million contract with the Yankees last month, will be looking to make the most of available opportunities in the upcoming season. In his four years long career with Los Angeles Dodgers, he produced some great performances.
“We’ve got six guys for five spots … and you really can look at it as, you’ve got CC and you’ve got Kuroda,” Girardi said. “So, you’ve got four guys for three spots.”
“Sometimes the five that you leave with aren’t the five that you end up with,” he further added. “We’ve got time, and there’s no rush. You’re going to go with what you feel are your five guys. You signed Kuroda to start, you signed all these guys to start.
Kuroda has a big track history.”
However, his 13-16 win-loss record with a 3.07 ERA last year is something he will be looking to improve his next big league season with the Yankees. It will be interesting to see if the 37 year old can change the course of his career in 2012. Ivan Nova,
who finished ahead of Pineda in Rookie of the year voting, will also be eager to fill the spot.
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