Yankees Spring Training 2014: Daily Updates, Scores, News and Analysis
February 25, 2014 · Timothy Rapp · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Last season was a rough one for the New York Yankees.
The team battled injuries all season long. Alex Rodriguez was once again in the news amidst a steroids scandal. The Yankees finished 85-77 and missed the postseason altogether for the first time since 2008 (and just the second time since 1993). Mariano Rivera retired. And to cap it all off, their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, won the World Series.
Yes, it was a rough season for the Bronx Bombers.
But spring training is here, and with it brings a new start for the Yankees. The club was once again busy this offseason, signing Jacoby Ellsbury, Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Matt Thornton, Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts, while star second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Curtis Granderson signed elsewhere over the winter.
After last year’s disappointment, there are plenty of Yankees fans eager to get a look at the club this spring. Below, you’ll find the team’s full schedule, a recap from every game they play before the regular season begins and a prediction for how they’ll fare this season.
March 1: Yankees beat Phillies, 4-0
On a day when Brian McCann reached base three times and drove in two runs with a double, the all the focus for the Yankees was on Masahiro Tanaka.
The 25-year-old Japanese star who signed a seven-year, $155 million contract made his debut in pinstripes on Saturday. He didn’t disappoint, throwing two shutout innings with three strikeouts, including one on a splitter to Ben Revere that makes grown men cry.
In addition to Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda combined to throw four shutout innings with three strikeouts to set the tone.
Feb. 28: Yankees beat Tigers, 7-4
Led by homers from Brian McCann, Gary Sanchez and Jose Pirela, the Yankees knocked off the Tigers, 7-4.
Seven Yankees’ hurlers combined to toss eight scoreless innings, though Brian Gordon was roughed around in the seventh, giving up four runs on six hits. That followed a five-run top of the seventh for the Yankees, who knocked around Luis Marte (four earned runs on three hits).
John Murrian led the way for Detroit with two RBI.
Feb. 27: Pirates beat Yankees, 8-2
The Yankees fell to the Pirates yet again on Thursday, however, the big story related to the spring debut of captain Derek Jeter. The Yankee legend missed the bulk of the 2013 season, but he appears poised to close out his career on a high note.
Per ESPN New York, Jeter went hitless in two at-bats in what turned out to be a fairly uneventful day for him:
In addition to Jeter, outfielder Brett Gardner started and led off, going 1-for-1 in limited action.
Also, starting pitcher David Phelps had his first audition for the No. 5 spot in the Yankees’ rotation. Aside from allowing a first-inning home run, Phelps acquitted himself well with four strikeouts in two innings.
Phelps is in direct competition with Michael Pineda and Adam Warren for the fifth slot, although Phelps will almost certainly make the roster regardless since he can serve as a long reliever.
The game was close until the latter stages when the Pirates broke a 2-2 contest open with five runs in the eighth inning and one in the ninth.
New York is obviously still trying to gain its footing, but it was good to get a couple starters involved as they attempt to get back in the swing of things.
Feb. 26: Pirates beat Yankees, 6-5
Despite stars like Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann making their spring debuts, the Yankees fell to the Pirates, 6-5.
Ellsbury reached base three times, scoring twice, while while McCann finished with a hit and an RBI. Ivan Nova got the start for the Yankees, giving up two hits, two walks and two earned runs while striking out one.
The Pirates exploded for four runs in the seventh. Tony Sanchez hit a three-run homer, tying the game at five runs apiece, before Chris McGuiness singled, scoring Chris Dickerson.
Feb. 25: Yankees beat Florida State, 8-3
Led by Ramon Flores (2-for-2, one home run, one RBI, two runs) and Dean Anna (reached base three times, scored two runs), the Yankees opened spring training by defeating the Florida State baseball team, 8-3.
Vidal Nuno, Brian Gordon and Bryan Mitchell each pitched two scoreless innings for the Yankees, while John Sansone’s bases-loaded double in the sixth inning accounted for all three of Florida State’s runs.
Of course, all of the talk in this game was Florida State Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston facing the Bronx Bombers, not that he fared particularly well, via Bleacher Report:
After, Winston joked that the Yankees still might want his signature, via Michele Steele of ESPN:
Brett Gardner, Francisco Cervelli, Kelly Johnson and Brendan Ryan were the biggest names to make an appearance for the Yankees, so Winston was the game’s main attraction.
Pre-Spring Training Prediction for 2014 Season
If the Yankees can stay healthy, they should have a pretty nasty lineup. A core group of Ellsbury, Derek Jeter, McCann, Beltran, Mark Teixeira and Alfonso Soriano should provide plenty of pop, and the Yankees could conceivably be among the leaders in runs scored and home runs this year.
That’s if they stay healthy, however, which is a pretty huge “if” considering this team is pretty darn old. They are only a few injuries away from sinking down the standings again.
The pitching staff will be reliant on two unknowns: Can CC Sabathia turn things around after a disappointing 2013 season, and can Tanaka take the American League by storm?
If the answer to both of those questions is “yes,” the Yankees will have a nasty one-two combination atop the rotation, bolstered by Hiroki Kuroda, Ivan Nova and potentially the return of Michael Pineda, who once looked so promising but has missed the past two seasons to injury.
David Robertson will be tasked with replacing Rivera, impossible shoes to fill though Robertson should do just fine in the role. The rest of the bullpen is shakier, however, and could become an issue for the team.
Finally, there is the little matter of the brutal American League East, a division that could see any of its five teams reach the postseason. Yes, even last year’s biggest busts, the Toronto Blue Jays, have to be considered contenders given the talent they have and the multitude of injuries they suffered last year.
The Yankees should be improved this year. But in a tough AL East, their improvement will probably be minimal. They’ll finish third in the AL East and miss the postseason for a second straight year.
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