Yankees’ pitching rotation looking strong ahead of Spring Training – MLB News
New York Yankees’ pitching line up is looking extremely strong before the start of 2012 Spring Training. C.C. Sabathia, Yankees’ ace will be leading the pack in the upcoming season and he will be assisted by the likes of Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, Hiroki Kuroda and Phil Hughes.
The Yankees were unable to live up to the expectations during 2011 post season. Manager Joe Girardi has powered Yankees pitching attack to make the most of available opportunities in 2012.
On Wednesday, Hiroki Kuroda secured one of the available spots in Yankees pitching rotation on Wednesday. Kuroda is an experienced campaigner. Although he has played only a few Major League Baseball seasons, his experience in Japanese League is quite significant. Having started in 358 out of 386 career games, he can prove to be really helpful to Sabathia, the lonely warrior of 2011 playoffs.
Michael Pineda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia will now be competing for the other three pitching slots. Ivan Nova displayed some high quality pitching skills last season to finish ahead of Michael Pineda in 2011 rookie of the year voting. Considering his ability to pitch with control under pressure, he is the leading candidate for the available pitching spot.
“He has to pitch. He has to stay healthy and he has to pitch," Girardi said of Pineda, who was 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in 28 starts for the Mariners. “I am a big believer that nothing is given to you in life. There are no guarantees. You still have to do your work and do your job. We are just not handing things over."
“I am not trying to cause a stir,’’ he added. “I am making sure that when we leave spring training we are taking the five best. And to be fair, there are no guarantees.’’
Pineda is also a very promising prospect. He can throw fast ball and sliders with control and he can prove to be an asset for the Yankees in pitching department. To bring more improvement in his throwing technique, the 23 year old has been working with the Yankees coaching staff. It will be interesting to see if Yankees can convert their pitching strength into results.
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