FORT MYERS, Fla. — With all the hype around Manuel Banuelos, you expected the Yankees prospect to levitate to the mound, turn the water in the cooler into wine and throw lightning bolts from his left hand against the Red Sox last night.
He didn’t quite do all that, but Banuelos was impressive in his first start of the spring. The 20-year-old left-hander struggled with his control, but showed poise when he got into jams and gave glimpses of a filthy fastball and a nasty changeup. He allowed two hits in 2 2/3 shutout innings, striking out two and walking three.
The Red Sox, who used most of their regulars in a 2-1 win, came away impressed.
“That guy’s 20 years old?” Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia asked. “He’s really good, and he seems to have an idea. Shoot, when I was 20, I was swinging with an aluminum bat [in college].”
Banuelos was a surprise starter after Sergio Mitre was sidelined by an oblique injury. It was the biggest stage the emerging star has pitched on coming against the rival Red Sox in front of 7,859 fans at City of Palms Park and on national television. Banuelos has become one of the biggest stories of the Yankees’ spring because of the way he’s pitched. He has not allowed a run in four appearances.
The test of facing Boston’s big boppers excited Banuelos. He viewed it as a test to see how he would fare in the majors. Clearly confident, Banuelos was happy with how he did.
“I think I’m ready,” Banuelos said of pitching in the big leagues.
Still, the Yankees are emphatic that Banuelos will start the year in Double-A Trenton — no matter how good he looks or how confident he is.
“He’s not making this team,” general manager Brian Cashman said.
The Yankees will be cautious with Banuelos, who has not pitched more than 109 innings in a season in the minors. He pitched in just three Double-A games last year.
The Yankees’ brass was more interested in how Banuelos would handle facing a Red Sox lineup that had all of its starters except J.D. Drew.
“He had a little bit of trouble with some walks, but he seemed to make the pitches when he had to,” manager Joe Girardi said. “To me, that’s a real good sign. That’s a sign of maturity. That’s a sign of no panic.”
Nerves may have caused the control issues for Banuelos, who walked two of the first four batters he faced. He found trouble again in the second, loading the bases before getting groundouts from Jacoby Ellsbury and Pedroia to escape without any runs being scored.
Banuelos said he tried not to get too hyped up about opposing the Red Sox, but admitted there was one batter he looked forward to facing.
“I wanted to face David Ortiz,” Banuelos said. “I tried to strike him out or get an out [Ortiz singled in one at-bat]. That was great for me to face those kind of guys. They are good hitters. That was good.”
Banuelos struck out Carl Crawford and Kevin Youkilis, getting Youkilis on a nasty 81-mph changeup.
“I think for this young man’s future they should go slow with him, very slow,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said with a smile.
Cashman said the Yankees have been aware for a while that they had something special in Banuelos. Now, with his impressive spring, everyone is getting to see what the future might hold.
“Probably most people couldn’t pronounce his name before camp,” Cashman said. “I think everyone pronounces it now accurately.”