TAMPA — CC Sabathia pitched from behind an L-screen and 10 feet in back of the mound — protected by another screen — were manager Joe Girardi, Yogi Berra, pitching coach Larry Rothschild and bullpen coach Mike Harkey.
The only hitters were Austin Krum and Justin Maxwell — Nos. 96 and 63 on your scorecard. The stands were empty. The rest of the players were just arriving to the clubhouse, readying for a workout.
The laid-back scene exemplified spring training.
Except for this: Sabathia’s four-seam fastball had July precision, popping Russell Martin’s unflinching mitt time after time after time.
“That was awesome,” Yankees pro personnel head Billy Eppler said after watching from behind the batting cage.
There are many elements to Sabathia’s brilliance: The swing-and-miss changeup and cutter. The power-forward size and unflappable nature. The non-stop blessing of being left-handed. But at the core of his genius is this: Sabathia can hit a teacup from 60 feet, 6 inches away with a 91-96 mph fastball. He can do it at Fenway Park under duress, and he can do it in the early morning of Feb. 24.
It is the main building block of an ace. And Sabathia is most definitely a member of that limited society. There are 30 teams. But there are not 30 aces. Some teams such as the Phillies have more than one ace. Some such as the A’s believe they have a few ready to emerge. Most hope and pray.
Being the Opening Day starter doesn’t cut it. Washington’s Livan Hernandez and Minnesota’s Carl Pavano already have that assignment in 2011. This is about opening a playoff series. Who does an organization send out in that situation with true confidence? Who makes you sleep well the night before Game 1? Are there 10 of that species in the game? Twelve? You are not going to top 15.
Especially because the sport lost one this week with the revelation that St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the season.
“It is a rite of passage in spring training; sometime in the first seven to 10 days someone big is going down and you just hope it is not your camp,” general manager Brian Cashman said.
It wasn’t the Yankees this time. Nevertheless, the Wainwright injury resonated with the Yankees. An injury like this makes teams think about losing an equivalent player. And though there is never a good time to lose an ace, this feels like it would be a particularly bad time for the Yankees because of the rotation uncertainty behind Sabathia.
No one thought the 1996 Yankees could endure after ace David Cone was lost for four months. But a has-been named Dwight Gooden came out of nowhere to sustain excellence for 3½ months and the 24-year-old Andy Pettitte navigated from interesting youngster to second in the Cy Young voting. So maybe if Sabathia were lost, the Yankees could mimic the 1996 champs with a has-been like Bartolo Colon and 24-year-old Phil Hughes starring.
Obviously, the Yankees do not want to try that particularly difficult trick. Instead, they remain hyper-alert to find a sidekick for Sabathia. The Yankees thought that co-ace would be Cliff Lee. But because Lee signed with the Phillies, Cashman has made it his quest to find a quality starter, which is why Wainwright’s injury could be particularly relevant.
The Yankees have told their scouts to bear down on several teams they think could have starters available before July 31. St. Louis was among that group, even before Wainwright’s injury, and so were teams such as the Braves, A’s, Angels and White Sox.
To think of moving Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals would have to be out of the race. But they are dealing with the distraction of Albert Pujols’ contract situation, playing Lance Berkman (right field) and Ryan Theriot (shortstop) out of position and having the NL Central bulk up with AL starters (Matt Garza to the Cubs; Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum to the Brewers). Now they have lost their ace.
If not in contention, St. Louis could decide to trade Carpenter to create more money to retain Pujols or as part of a significant rebuild. Carpenter has a $15 million option for 2012. There would be concerns about Carpenter’s age (36 in April), history of fragility and whether he still translates at a high level in the AL East.
For now, though, the Cardinals are trying to contend, hoping Carpenter can help them thrive despite the loss of an ace — the nightmare scenario that chills the Yankees.