
Similar to the situation in St. Louis, there are three pitchers with a locked-up spot in the rotation: CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Phil Hughes. The fight for the last two spots is certainly an interesting competition, pitting two veterans looking for another chance to prove they can still pitch (Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia) against a career spot starter/long reliever (Sergio Mitre) and a 23-year-old who the Yankees hope will turn out to be a decent starter (Ivan Nova). The 37-year-old Colon (left), who the Yankees signed to a minor-league contract in January, hasn't really had a relevant season since 2005 with the Angels (21-8, 3.48 ERA, and a Cy Young), and hasn't pitched in the majors at all since 2009. Garcia had a decent record with the White Sox last year, going 12-6 but sporting a not-so-nice 4.64 ERA + 1.38 WHIP, and he will be turning 36 this year. So far the two have put up decent numbers, with Garcia throwing 5 shutout innings in his first two starts while Colon has a 3.00 spring ERA (9 innings, 8 hits, 3 runs). As well as the older guys have pitched thus far, it's not as if the other contenders for the rotation spots have given them any wiggle room. Nova and Mitre have both thrown 5 innings in their first two starts, and neither of them has allowed a run OR a walk, combining to strike out 6. Until one (or two) of these pitchers starts to slip, manager Joe Giradi is going to have a tough decision as to who the back end of his rotation will feature come April.
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