TAMPA — Joe Girardi said the competition for the Yankees’ fifth rotation spot hasn’t begun because pitchers are throwing to hitters who aren’t swinging bats. Instead, the manager said, the judging will begin when the exhibition season opens next week.
Nevertheless, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain, the favorites to land the last spot in a rotation that figures to be the best in baseball, are ignoring their manager.
“What I do today dictates what I do tomorrow,” Chamberlain said after throwing batting practice to Nick Swisher, Jorge Posada (who danced away from a slider in the dirt), Jamie Hoffman and Brett Gardner. “I knew it was going to be a battle and all the guys would work hard. We are fighting for it from Day 1.”
When the games start — the first one is Wednesday — Hughes said he understands there will not be much room for error.
“I don’t think you can have too many lapses with so much on the line,” said Hughes, whose move to the bullpen last year sparked a sensational season for the 23-year-old right-hander. “There are four to five outings. How many can you afford not to have a good game?”
Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves also are in the mix, but most of the attention has been, and will continue to be, on the favorites.
“We are going to find out early in spring training,” Posada said. “They have to show us early. I am sure there were a lot of eyes on [yesterday’s] BP. As soon as you see guys throwing in games you are going to see guys paying attention.”
The 24-year-old Chamberlain, who is no longer chained to an innings limit, worked on his change-up and on throwing inside. Hughes, who bounced several curveballs, wanted to locate his fastball and continued to bring back the change-up he stopped throwing when he moved from the rotation to the pen.
“I tweaked it a little bit,” Hughes said of the grip on the change. “I am back to the circle change and getting a feel for it.”
Hughes pitched to Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Jesus Montero and Robinson Cano.
Though Girardi said Hughes’ change-up has looked good in bullpen sessions, the manager will reserve judgment until he sees how hitters react to it when they take their bats off the shoulders.
“You want to see the deception it has when hitters are swinging in a game,” Girardi said. “But I like the progress he has made and we need to keep on him and tell him to continue to use it.”
Girardi said he doesn’t expect Chamberlain and Hughes to violate the no-compete edict until the Yankees begin playing games.
“To me, you are competing against yourself and trying to make yourself better,” Girardi said. “That’s the attitude we want from all our players. We want you to get better every day. I think that’s the competitive nature. They are trying to throw well and open people’s eyes.”
Girardi said this period in the situation is preparation. Soon, however, the preparation will be complete and the competition, perhaps the fiercest in years and easily the most intense in this camp, will commence.