The LoHud Yankees Blog

This will be a different sort of spring for Freddy Garcia. He established himself as a Major League pitcher way back in 1999, and he hasn’t fought for a job like this ever since.

“I don’t really think of it before like you have to pitch good (in spring training),” he said. “If you don’t pitch good in the regular season, that’s when you have a problem. I think spring training, you get your job done… In the past, I don’t really concentrate in spring training games, but this year I have to be different.”

Joe Girardi actually laughed when he was asked this afternoon about Garcia’s track record in spring training. “We’re well aware of that,” Girardi said.

Take last spring for example. Pitching for the White Sox, Garcia put this line: 21.2 IP, 40 H, 26 R, 25 ER, 4 BB, 13 K, 10.38 ERA. Yikes.

Girardi said the Yankees will “factor that in,” and go into spring training knowing Garcia isn’t always at his best in March. Then again, “these spots are going to have to be earned,” Girardi said.

It’s one of the tricky things about making this sort of decision in spring training: The games don’t matter and results can be misleading. The Yankees are going to have to go on more than simply who’s able to get outs.

Even with his back spring track record, does Garcia expect to be able to win a spot this spring?

“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “If you don’t think that way, don’t be here. If you come here and sign this deal, it’s because I’m really feeling good about it. That’s why I’m here.”

Here’s part of the Garcia interview. I had to leave the session for a little bit to talk to Brian Cashman, but the nuts and bolts are here.

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Associated Press photo with Garcia in the middle

There’s only so much to talk about with only pitchers and catchers in camp. Even these bullpen sessions don’t mean a whole lot.

“You don’t put a lot of stock into bullpens, especially this early in camp,” Joe Girardi said. “I just think it’s unfair to do that. The last thing I want is someone thinking is that I want to see more in a bullpen, because then they’re going to try to do too much and end up getting hurt.”

Camp will finally get a little more lively tomorrow when position players report for their physicals, and we’ll be in the full swing of things with the first full-squad workout on Sunday.

“It’s hard to believe we start games in a week,” Girardi said.

• Rafael Soriano has not yet thrown a bullpen. Girardi said Soriano will probably get on a mound for the first time next week. The Yankees don’t need Soriano to get stretched out beyond one inning, and they aren’t expecting a heavy workload when the spring schedule starts. “We’re not going to ask him to make 13 or 14 appearances,” Girardi said.

• Soriano will wait until next week to get off a mound, Mariano Rivera will wait “maybe a little longer” according to Girardi. Whenever Rivera needs to pitch off a mound, he’ll pitch off a mound. This is a pretty polished process.

• A lot of the pitchers who are already pitching off a mound are slightly ahead of last year’s schedule. “We’ve had a lot of kids who have been down here for a while throwing in Tampa,” Girardi said. “Maybe they are a little bit ahead.”

• Hector Noesi is still dealing with visa issues, but Girardi said there’s a chance he’ll be in camp — in uniform and ready to pitch — on Sunday. “I’m hoping it doesn’t have much of an impact,” Girardi said. “I hope he’s been doing his throwing, and I’m sure he has been doing his throwing.”

• Speaking of guys showing up, Girardi said he expects every position player to be in camp on time this weekend. As far as he knows, no one is going to be late.

• I went to the minor league complex very briefly this morning to see which position players were going through one last day of hitting. There were only minor league guys at the complex when I was there. One of the guards said Ramiro Pena was the only big leaguer he saw taking BP today.

• Gustavo Molina didn’t catch today. He felt some pain in his leg, but Girardi said it’s very minor. “Nothing alarming,” he said.

• Greg Golson got an early start moving into his locker. He showed up this afternoon wearing street clothes and carrying a big box full of stuff.

• Some people had asked about Alan Horne, who’s been battling injuries since being name Eastern League Pitcher of the Year in 2007. Now coming back from a shoulder injury, Horne is throwing in Tampa and scheduled to pitch off a half mound some time around March 1.

• If you’re ever in a spring training press box with a good set of headphones, and you need to write a newspaper story about Freddy Garcia, Alexi Murdoch makes rock solid writing music.

Associated Press photos of Francisco Cervelli and Soriano

We’re officially in some sort of Camp Weight Watchers down here in Tampa. CC Sabathia lost weight, Joba Chamberlain gained weight, and Bartolo Colon is a big man even on his lighter days.

Today, Colon said he weighs 267 pounds. He’d like to get down to 250. Thing is, Colon said he’s weighed at least 250 every year since 2002. That’s a stretch that includes his worst years and his Cy Young year.

“The problem’s not the weight, it’s the arm,” he said.

Colon has his own training routine this spring. I suppose you could argue that it’s because of his size, but frankly it’s not especially unusual for a 37-year-old to do something different from a 27-year-old in spring training. Colon said the heaviest he’s ever pitched was at 278 pounds, which was way back during his days in Cleveland, when he was in his 20s and probably destroying clubhouse spreads with Sabathia.

“I feel really good right now the way I am,” he said. “But I feel like I need to go down with my weight a little bit more.”

Associated Press photo

When Joba Chamberlain finished his morning bullpen, Chamberlain walked into the tunnel that leads back to the Yankees clubhouse, and pitching coach Larry Rothschild focused all of his attention on Ivan Nova, the only pitcher still in the bullpen.

Rothschild stood in the batter’s box — not squared up to the plate, but close enough to somewhat resemble a hitter — while bullpen coach Mike Harkey and Triple-A pitching coach Scott Aldred watched near the mound. Organizational pitching guru Billy Connors watched from a bench on the side of the pen.

That’s the point of these early sessions. Most spring training bullpens happen with four or five guys throwing at once. Rothschild said the early sessions are specifically designed so that he spend more one-on-one time with individual pitchers.

“We’re going to filter the guys through,” he said.

Nova’s first spring bullpen was in a group. Today he got the individual attention.

Rothschild said the Yankees will do the same with batting practice after position players report this weekend.

• Chamberlain is already mixing all of his pitches. Considering it’s still the first week of camp, the Yankees seem to have more guys  than usual who have already moved past fastballs. I remember Dave Robertson spinning a few curveballs two days ago. Phil Hughes is already mixing all of his pitches. Some of the minor league guys were facing hitters at the minor league complex before big league camp opened.

• Speaking of Hughes, he also did his work early this morning, but he did it after Chamberlain and Nova. I have no idea what Hughes did this morning, but he walked into the clubhouse just before it closed and was drenched in sweat. He clearly did more than a routine bullpen.

• Brett Gardner is not listed in today’s hitting groups. Looks like he won’t be here today. I’m guessing he’ll be back tomorrow when the other position players show up.

• Bullpen assignments:

Group 1
Dellin Betances (to Jesus Montero)
Pedro Feliciano (to Gustavo Molina)
Dave Robertson (to Russell Martin)
Andy Sisco (to Austin Romine)
Manny Banuelos (to Kyle Higashioka)

Group 2
Brian Anderson (to Francisco Cervelli)
Andrew Brackman (to Jose Gil)
Romulo Sanchez (to Gustavo Molina)
Daniel Turpen (to Kyle Higashioka)
Steve Garrison (to Jesus Monter0)

Group 3
D.J. Mitchell (to Austin Romine)
David Phelps (to Roman Rodriguez)
Adam Warren (to Francisco Cervelli)
Eric Wordekemper (to Jose Gil)

• Same hitting groups as usual, except without Gardner

Group 1: Gil, Higashioka, Montero and Romine

Group 2: Martin, Cervelli, Molina and Posada

Associated Press photo of Rothschild and A.J. Burnett after an early morning bullpen earlier this week

First it was just Joba Chamberlain throwing in the outfield. Then Ivan Nova joined him. Looks like both are about to head to the bullpen as our early workers for the day.

This is the last day of only pitchers and catchers in camp. Position players report for their physicals tomorrow. First full squad workout on Sunday.

Until then, we’ll have a couple more days of little more than bullpens, catching drills and two-group batting practice. Things start to get loud this weekend.

Associated Press photo of Jesus Montero, just because it’s kind of a cool shot

Brian Cashman has said time and again that he’s open to adding more rotation options if the price is right, and Joel Sherman reported today that Kevin Millwood could be one of those options. Sherman says the Yankees are still interested in the veteran Millwood, who would be one more veteran in the back-of-the-rotation competition.

• In no uncertain terms, Brian Cashman told Mark Feinsand that Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos will not break camp with the big league club. Those two will go to Trenton.

• Gary Sheffield has officially retired. “It’s time to say goodbye,” Sheffield said.

• Nick Swisher told Ken Davidoff that he switched agents because he and Joe Bick, “grew apart a little bit.”

• Former Yankees part-time DH Juan Miranda has more competition for the Diamondbacks first base job. Arizona has signed Russell Branyan, and the D-Backs are also considering pitcher Micah Owings for a little bit of first base time.

• The YES Network has been nominated for 46 New York Emmy awards. According to a press release, on-air talent Bob Lorenz, Paul O’Neill, John Flaherty, Marv Albert and Jim Spanarkel received individual nominations.

• The Blue Jays have wrapped up an extension with Jose Bautista. They’ve also signed Scott Podsednik to a minor league deal.

• MLB Network announced its broadcast schedule for spring training games. The Yankees pop up quite a bit.

Associated Press photos of A.J. Burnett and Francisco Cervelli. They really have nothing to do with this post, but they were available, so why not use them?

Mariano Rivera left home yesterday, doing what Andy Pettitte couldn’t bring himself to do this winter.

“It’s hard,” Rivera said. “One of my kids was, the little one was attached to my hip, crying. It’s hard. A lot of people don’t see that, that part of the game. You have to leave your family. Even though you’re going to see them, being detached from your family is hard.”

It seems Rivera never seriously considered retirement this offseason, but he admitted that leaving home “gets harder and harder,” and now that his oldest son is 17, Rivera realizes he’s “missed a lot of things.”

“Baseball is not everything,” Rivera said. “That’s what we do, yeah, but there’s still life after baseball. There will come a time when you have to make a decision, even though you still have the abilities to play. That comes within yourself. If you don’t feel it in your heart, you don’t feel it in yourself no more, it’s time to say goodbye because, why are you going to do it if you don’t have the desire to do it? That’s why I thank God for Andy, and I respect him because he just didn’t have the desire to do it no more.”

I’ve already mentioned a few things about Rivera today, but he’s one of those guys who always leaves plenty of worthwhile notes. Here’s his welcome-back interview, plus a few additional items.

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• Given yesterday’s Joba Chamberlain story, the first question to Rivera was about his weight. “My weight? I think it’s OK,” Rivera said, clearly puzzled and not really getting the joke.

• Rivera said he doesn’t know Rafael Soriano very well and he wasn’t contracted during the Yankees negotiations. Those two have lockers right next to one another. “I don’t know Soriano much at all,” Rivera said. “I have seen him. I have talked to him a little bit, but not much. I will get to know him better this time.”

• During his brief free agency, did Rivera consider playing for anyone but the Yankees? “I either don’t play or play for the Yankees,” he said.

• Who exactly was sick in the Rivera household? “Everybody was sick,” he said. “I was, but I got better.”

• Girardi insisted Rivera isn’t the only veteran who would be allowed to show up late. “There’s actually a lot of them that I trust, because I know how seriously they take the game,” Girardi said. “I know they would find a way to get their work in.”

• Girardi said one thing Soriano might be able to take from Rivera is his longevity. “A lot of people can learn from Mo that as you lose a little off your fastball, that doesn’t mean you can’t be as good,” Girardi said. “You might have to do it a little different — Mo came up with a sinker — so you may have to add a little something to your repertoire, but you can still be a very good pitcher.”

• Girardi on what it will be like when Rivera finally does retire:

“It’s going to be strange, similar to how strange it is not to see Andy Pettitte here. When you have someone that’s been here as long as certain players have been, it’s strange when you walk into the clubhouse and you look where they usually sat and they’re not there.

“Mo is not going to be an easy person to replace, just because of how good he’s been over the years but also what he’s meant to this organization, meant to the clubhouse and his leadership skills. It’s not easy to replace. You have to be careful, because you don’t want the person who comes in after Mo to feel like he has to replace Mo. That person only has to do his job; he doesn’t have to be Mo.

“There’s only going to be one Mo.”

Associated Press photos, the second one is of Rivera with Chamberlain

Joe Girardi made it clear today that most of the young starters in camp are here to be seen by the Major League staff, not necessarily carried on the Major League roster. One of them could make a surprising run at the big league rotation, but for the most part this appears to be an open competition between four guys.

“My expectations are pretty much the same for all these guys,” Girardi said. “They know how to do it, and you know they know how to do it. It’s just a matter of getting it done.”

Bartolo Colon

The great unknown of this group, Colon has not pitched in the Major Leagues since July of 2009. He hasn’t thrown more than 100 big league innings since he won the Cy Young award in 2005.

Girardi: “The Bartolo Colon that I knew, that I saw pitch, had outstanding command. He knew how to move the baseball around and pitched a lot off his fastball. In the little bit that I’ve seen here at spring training, he still has that command. Not pitching in 18 months, how many innings could you expect from him? I’m not quite sure.”

Freddy Garcia

The most recent addition, Garcia signed a minor league deal late this winter. He went 12-6 with a 4.64 ERA with the White Sox last season. He allowed more than four earned runs in five of his 28 starts.

Girardi: “I’ve seen Freddy pitch against us a couple times and have a pretty good understanding of what he likes to do to us. Watching Freddy, Freddy competes. That’s the best way I can describe Freddy Garcia. He finds a way to get it done.”

Sergio Mitre

Technically a rotation candidate last spring, he had a 3.27 ERA in spring training — which kept his name in the discussion — before landing in the bullpen as a long reliever and spot starter. He had a 3.33 ERA last season.

Girardi: “He’s going to start some games. He was very good when he started last year in the competition (in spring training). He threw the ball extremely well. He threw the ball pretty decent for us, so he’s going to have some starts.”

Ivan Nova

Generally considered a favorite for one spot, Nova made seven starts late last season and finished with a 4.50 ERA. He was generally dominant in the early innings, but struggled past the fourth. He had a 2.86 ERA in Triple-A.

Girardi: “Go back to his first start against Toronto: He had the bases loaded and nobody out, and he ended up giving up one run. To me, I saw a lot of poise there. I saw a guy that didn’t panic when he was in the midst of something. That showed me a lot… We just have to see him take it over from what he learned last year and make steps.”

Associated Press photos of Colon and Nova

Yesterday, just as the bullpens and catching drills were breaking up, Joe Girardi and Tony Pena stayed behind with Jesus Montero, slightly tweaking the way he squats. They seemed to be working on Montero’s base, getting his feet just slightly farther apart.

When someone told Girardi it was time for Montero’s group to taking batting practice, Girardi responded instantly.

“I know he can hit,” Girardi said.

A little defensive work was, for the moment, a priority.

During the day, Girardi bounces around a little bit. He spends time watching pitchers in the bullpen, but he’s also been involved in a few of Pena’s infamous — and occasionally brutal — catching drills. Today, Girardi specifically did some work with Russell Martin.

“Tony told me he was going to do some things with him today that I wanted to see,” Girardi said. “It’s just the importance of that relationship, getting to know him better, understanding what he’s all about and what makes him tick. Just trying to get a better grasp on the player.

“You think about the responsibility the catcher has, he’s responsible for a lot of guys. He’s responsible for 12 pitchers and himself, and you kind of want him to be an extension of what we’re trying to do here. That relationship is important.”

• Speaking of Martin, although he’s not quite 100 percent right now, the Yankees are expecting no restrictions when the season starts. “He hasn’t shown me anything physically right now that won’t allow us to play him every day,” Girardi said.

• As of right now, no plan is in place for when Mariano Rivera will finally get in a game. “I don’t have an exact date,” Girardi said. “Larry (Rothschild) is going to sit down and give us an exact date of when he’ll throw. He usually gets in a game sometime around the 15th, maybe a little before.”

• Speaking of Rivera: “He picked a good day to come,” Girardi said. “Today is our first off-day from running.”

• In theory, having Rafael Soriano could ease Rivera’s workload, but Girardi said he’s planning to treat his closer the same as ever. Three days in a row is not out of the question with Rivera, not like it is with most other relievers. “I’ll continue to treat Mo the same,” Girardi said.

• With room for only one long reliever, the Yankees might try to stretch out some of their one-inning relievers this spring. “That’s something you might see guys do a little in spring training, where we ask them to get more than three outs and we stretch them out a little bit,” Girardi said. “You’d like to have a couple guys who can give you multiple innings, so that’s something we’ll have to look at and see how they respond to it.”

• According to Girardi, Phil Hughes’ increased workload might have contributed to his shaky second half. “I don’t realty have a whole lot of concern about that,” Girardi said. “I think part was maybe the increased innings, but I saw what he did the last few starts, which were pretty good. The start against Boston, the start against Minnesota, those were pretty good starts. He seemed to bounce back. That’s one of the reasons we do put limitations on them, because you worry about fatigue.”

• Once a highly touted pitching prospect in the Yankees system, right-hander Christian Garcia was released last season after a series of injuries derailed his promising career. The Yankees are aware that Garcia, 25, has been working out and plans to throw for scouts, but I was told today that the Yankees have no plans of bringing Garcia back to the organization.

• For those of you interested in such things, Brandon Laird’s locker has been moved to the middle of the clubhouse, filling the spot that was supposed to go to Reegie Corona. He was assigned a wall locker near the door. This “news” has no impact on anything, just thought I’d share.

• Yogi Berra will be in camp at some point next week.

Associated Press photos: Girardi with Martin, Rivera stretching, Curtis Granderson and Greg Golson at the minor league complex

To fill the back of their rotation, the Yankees will look at some of the young, internal options from their minor league system. This afternoon, though, Joe Girardi acknowledged that the team is leaning away from its youngest candidates.

Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Sergio Mitre are the heavy favorites in the fight for those last two starting spots.

Asked specifically about Andrew Brackman, Girardi essentially made all of the young guys — other than Nova, obviously — extreme long-shots for a job.

“I don’t think it’s completely out of the question,” Girardi said. “But I think we’re looking at some of our young kids and thinking that they might need a little bit more seasoning. Nothing is out of the question at this point, I don’t think so, but I think you’re looking more toward the veteran guys a little bit.”