PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — If Bartolo Colon isn’t the caboose in Joe Girardi’s five-man Yankee rotation, it won’t be because the veteran right-hander didn’t do everything in his power to win the job.
From the start of camp, the manager insisted that statistics and results weren’t the only ingredients to be looked at in the competition for two spots that included Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Freddy Garcia and Colon.
Even though the Yankees won’t confirm it, Nova, 24, has won a spot. That leaves Colon, Garcia and Mitre for the one remaining opening behind CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett. Because Mitre has experience in long relief, he fits in the pen better than the rotation.
Last night at Charlotte Sports Park against the Rays, the 37-year-old Colon made it very difficult for the Yankees to send him to the bullpen, to the minors or cut him.
“I won’t feel bad with whatever decision they make,” Colon said after allowing one run, one hit and fanning five in six innings of a 3-1 Yankees loss. He needed 61 pitches to record 18 outs.
At the outset, Garcia, 34, who won 12 games for the White Sox, and Nova were the favorites. During the early part of the exhibition season nothing changed. But Garcia regressed and Colon built on a strong beginning. Last night’s outing had the scouts section behind the plate buzzing.
“There was a lot to like other than the physical appearance,” one scout said of the 267 pounds Colon carries on a frame listed a 6 feet, but is shorter.
“The command of his fastball was very good, and he used both sides of the plate. He got ahead. I counted four broken bats. He cut the ball, he had a sinker, he changed speeds. I was pleasantly surprised.
“Obviously, he is pitching for a job, and to me he looked like he was ready to go. The fastball was at 90 to 92 mph and he hit 94 and 95.”
But where is Colon going?
Colon’s numbers are better than Garcia’s. But it’s March, a month to ignore the good and the bad. Still, those numbers are in front of you.
Pitching coaches and managers can talk endlessly about how the ball comes out of the hand, how sharp the breaking stuff is and the difference in fastball and changeup velocity.
In four spring games, Colon is 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA. Garcia is 1-1 with a 5.93 ERA in four outings. He is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game Thursday, but you get the feeling the Yankees already know what they are going to do with him.
“Freddy is what he is. You can put the radar gun down. He
is a crafty right-hander who knows how to pitch,” GM Brian Cashman said prior to last night’s game.
“I know what Freddy can do at the major-league level. Bartolo is like a little bit more of a newbie.”
There are several ways this can go.
Garcia, who will make $1.5 million in base salary if on the team, is the No. 5 and Colon goes to the pen or the minors, where he can pitch regularly, prove his arm is healthy and provide insurance if a starter goes down or if Garcia is ineffective.
Colon, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2009 due to arm trouble and will make $900,000, is the fifth and Garcia is likely gone since he can ask for his release on March 29 if not added to the big-league roster. He said he has nothing to prove in the minors.
While acknowledging that Garcia doesn’t have to push the speed guns into the mid-90s, some scouts are puzzled by recent readings in the mid-80s.