As we have for the televised games from Yankees Spring Training, we continue our coverage today. The Yankees would face off against the defending Champion Washington Nationals.
Masahiro Tanaka Wasn’t Super Crisp
Masahiro Tanaka’s first Spring outing wasn’t quite what he was hoping for but not because of results. As we have said, the first outings of the Spring don’t mean a lot, especially for veterans who are “working on things.” But the reason that Tanaka wasn’t happy about the outing was because of the process. Tanaka was missing the location on his pitches. Masahiro has always been known as a perfectionist, and his body language in the second inning was clear. And while the results (two-run homerun by Raudy Read) don’t matter because it’s just the first week of Spring Training. Masahiro Tanaka will look internally and be better for his next start.
Brian Cashman Informs of Everything & Nothing
Brian Cashman has been the Yankees GM for what feels like forever. And one of the trademarks of Brian Cashman’s time as the GM is the art of speaking without saying anything. Cashman would tell us that the timeline for Luis Severino’s injury would have been the same, even if it was diagnosed in December. Cash would also tell us that James Paxton is progressing along the way everyone is expecting.
Brian would also say that competition for the final two spots in the rotation will see a lot of young players compete. As the Spring unfolds, we will see how the young pitchers respond and who makes the most significant impact. Also, we discussed the impact of Luis Severino’s loss in an article yesterday. (Luis Severino Needs Tommy John Surgery.)
Regular Spring Debuts & 26th Man Battle
We would see the Spring debut of Zack Britton, Chad Green, and Tommy Kahnle. All three pitchers would deliver solid performances through the rain. But one of the most prominent notes of the broadcast was about the battle for the 26th man on the roster. The four men spoken about in that context was Clint Frazier, Mike Ford, Tyler Wade, and Thairo Estrada. The game would see some good at-bats by Clint Frazier and Mike Ford. And much like the final rotation spot, the final roster spot will be a continual battle until the end of Spring. And an additional note from the game Miguel Andújar would make his debut in left field and would make the first play of the game. Not much was hit his direction after that.
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