SARASOTA, Fla. — Joe Girardi wanted a look at switch-pitcher Pat Venditte at some point this spring. Today against the Braves may be the day.
“I wanted to see it all spring,” the Yankees manager said of the 24-year-old reliever who throws with his right and left hands and will come over from the minor league camp. “I think it’s interesting. I would like to put him in against left, right, left. I have been intrigued. He had a great year last year. I asked at one point that I would love to see him.”
Venditte went a combined 4-2 with 22 saves and a 1.87 ERA for Single-A Charleston and Single-A Tampa in 49 games last year. For Tampa in the Florida State League playoffs, he was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five games.
The Creighton University product, who was taken in the 20th round of the 2008 draft, is likely to open the season at Double-A Trenton. He is the only ambidextrous pitcher in pro baseball. A natural right-hander, he has been hurling with both arms since three.
While at Single-A Staten Island in 2008, Venditte, who wears a six-fingered glove with two thumbs holes, forced a new rule to put into the books. Venditte has to show the umpire which hand he is going to use to pitch to each batter.
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Derek Jeter will use his backup glove tonight against the Blue Jays, but it has nothing to do with the missile Baltimore’s Nolan Reimold smoked off Joba Chamberlain that hit off the tip of Jeter’s leather in the sixth inning of the Yankees’ 11-7 win last night.
“No, that didn’t do it,” Jeter said when asked if the liner damaged his glove. “It’s no biggie. That ball was hit hard.”
Chamberlain entered with one out and the bases empty. After giving up Reimold’s laser, Chamberlain retired Cesar Izturis on a grounder and struck out Brian Roberts on a filthy slider. Chamberlain’s velocity was between 89 and 93 mph.
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Alex Rodriguez refused to comment on his impending meeting with the FBI concerning his relationship with Dr. Anthony Galea but that talk is expected to be held before the Yankees leave spring training Saturday.
“I am not saying anything,” Rodriguez said prior to the game, in which he went 1-for-4.
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Javier Vazquez was pleased to reach almost 100 pitches (he threw 96), but wasn’t high on his breaking ball.
“It was tough to throw the breaking ball, especially the curve ball because of the wind,” said Vazquez, who went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and seven hits. He will pitch in the final spring game Saturday.
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Former Olympic gold-medal sprinter Michael Johnson addressed the Yankees yesterday. Johnson wasn’t there to make the Yankees faster on the basepaths but to address the mental side of competition and the potholes related to repeating as a champion.
Johnson, who won gold in 1992, 1996 and 2000, knows Chad Bohling, the Yankees’ director of mental conditioning, well and said he got to know fellow Nike client Rodriguez because Johnson was living in Dallas when A-Rod was a Ranger.
“He is a guy who has repeated success and has been a top-notch athlete for a long time,” Girardi said of Johnson. “He understands about preparation and the physical demands that it takes to be a champion.”
The Yankees insist complacency won’t be an issue this year and that Johnson wasn’t brought in to help guard against it.
“I just think it’s great to have a man of his caliber in here,” Girardi said. “We brought people in last year, a number of different people. It’s been beneficial to us.”
Others have addressed the team, but out of courtesy, Girardi didn’t want to identify them.
“Some of them have interesting jobs,” he said.
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Girardi said he and general manager Brian Cashman haven’t discussed what the plan will be for Phil Hughes at the beginning of the season. Hughes is the fifth starter and the Yankees don’t need one until April 17. He could be optioned to the minor leagues until then, work out of the bullpen prior to the start or be used to give other starters extra rest.
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Girardi said he isn’t ready to announce Curtis Granderson is his center fielder, which the Post’s Joel Sherman reported last week.
“I am not ready to make that decision but I am definitely leaning one way,” Girardi said.
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CC Sabathia will be cut back to 70 to 75 pitches today, when he makes his final spring start against the Braves at Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Sabathia will start against the Red Sox on Sunday night at Fenway Park. . . . Girardi said it’s possible cuts will be made Thursday or Friday.