Yankee 21
02-16-2002, 06:46 PM
Six starters no concern for Torre, yet
Pitching depth not a problem for Bombers
By Paul C. Smith
MLB.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- When is having six good starters too many?
Certainly not early in Spring Training when there are seven mounds in the practice area where all the starters can get their work in. There also is plenty of room on the roster, on the bench, in the locker room and in the showers. The chow line usually moves a little slower this time of year but there is always an extra seat on the bus to Winter Haven.
And the New York Yankees traditionally have a Hall of Fame wing full of legends around each spring to help with personal instruction.
So, what's the problem with having six starters?
Yankees Manager Joe Torre does not see one.
"At this point, it's terrific for me,'' Torre said.
But Torre has been around baseball long enough to know that the presumptuous members of the New York media would make what seems like an excess into a story that simply must be told. Right now. To them, there has to be an odd man out and, after all their investigating, they have projected it will be Orlando "El Duque'' Hernandez.
It may be more than a month before we know if any of them are in the running to replace Miss Cleo but Torre certainly won't be paying to find out what they think.
"Who knows what's going to happen in the next six weeks?'' Torre said. "One of the starters could get hurt. One may not be ready. There could be a trade. You never know.''
Torre warned again about assuming that Hernandez would be the one sent to the bullpen or traded while Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Sterling Hitchcock get the starts during the regular season. Torre said his first day in camp that Clemens, Mussina and Pettitte would be the top three and that Wells, Hitchcock and Hernandez would fight it out for the other two spots.
Age may be a factor in the final outcome. Clemens is 39 and appears to be in the best spring shape of his career. But Wells is 38 and coming off major back surgery that limited his starts to 16 with the White Sox last season. He has been throwing a baseball and has gone through drills the last two mornings, and threw off a mound on Saturday for the first time since July.
"He is coming off major back surgery,'' Torre said. "He seems to be in much better shape but that's not the most important thing. It's going to the mound. I've cut lots of pitchers who were in great shape.''
Mussina is 33 and Pettitte does not turn 30 until June, while Hitchcock will turn 31 at the end of April. Mussina and Pettitte both threw more than 200 innings again last year and Hitchcock had major arm surgery just two years ago.
"You can never have too much pitching,'' Torre said, searching for a Yogi-ism.
The main reason the Big Apple scribes have focused on Hernandez is because of the way he pitched last season (4-7, 4.85 ERA) and the fact that he was signed only for this season, while Wells and Hitchcock were signed for two years apiece.
Hernandez, who is listed as 32, had toe surgery last season and never really figured out what the problem was with his elbow that bothered him all season. He checked into camp at Legends Field this week saying he was healthy, happy to still be a Yankee and not sure what the six starters meant.
"It is not a problem,'' Hernandez said. "What is needed is for me to work. Nothing else. My (role) is something I don't know right now. No one has spoken to me about what it means. It is not important what I say or think. I can't talk about what I don't know yet.''
Half a dozen lockers away from Hernandez, Clemens was dishing out advice.
"If I were (Hernandez), I would take the position that someone has to take the job away from me,'' Clemens said. "That's the way I'd approach it.
"He's a sensitive guy. You all know that. But when his mind is right, he's nails.''
Clemens then thought for a moment about the other 18 Spring Trainings he has attended and how much changed during each one.
"You can't be sure something's not going to happen,'' Clemens said. "So we just don't know.''
One thing Clemens does know is he would like to see a dogfight.
"I personally hope it's a tough decision on (pitching coach) Mel (Stottlemyre) and Joe because that would mean everybody has done well,'' Clemens said. "By mid-spring, it's going to get interesting."
Pitching depth not a problem for Bombers
By Paul C. Smith
MLB.com
TAMPA, Fla. -- When is having six good starters too many?
Certainly not early in Spring Training when there are seven mounds in the practice area where all the starters can get their work in. There also is plenty of room on the roster, on the bench, in the locker room and in the showers. The chow line usually moves a little slower this time of year but there is always an extra seat on the bus to Winter Haven.
And the New York Yankees traditionally have a Hall of Fame wing full of legends around each spring to help with personal instruction.
So, what's the problem with having six starters?
Yankees Manager Joe Torre does not see one.
"At this point, it's terrific for me,'' Torre said.
But Torre has been around baseball long enough to know that the presumptuous members of the New York media would make what seems like an excess into a story that simply must be told. Right now. To them, there has to be an odd man out and, after all their investigating, they have projected it will be Orlando "El Duque'' Hernandez.
It may be more than a month before we know if any of them are in the running to replace Miss Cleo but Torre certainly won't be paying to find out what they think.
"Who knows what's going to happen in the next six weeks?'' Torre said. "One of the starters could get hurt. One may not be ready. There could be a trade. You never know.''
Torre warned again about assuming that Hernandez would be the one sent to the bullpen or traded while Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, David Wells and Sterling Hitchcock get the starts during the regular season. Torre said his first day in camp that Clemens, Mussina and Pettitte would be the top three and that Wells, Hitchcock and Hernandez would fight it out for the other two spots.
Age may be a factor in the final outcome. Clemens is 39 and appears to be in the best spring shape of his career. But Wells is 38 and coming off major back surgery that limited his starts to 16 with the White Sox last season. He has been throwing a baseball and has gone through drills the last two mornings, and threw off a mound on Saturday for the first time since July.
"He is coming off major back surgery,'' Torre said. "He seems to be in much better shape but that's not the most important thing. It's going to the mound. I've cut lots of pitchers who were in great shape.''
Mussina is 33 and Pettitte does not turn 30 until June, while Hitchcock will turn 31 at the end of April. Mussina and Pettitte both threw more than 200 innings again last year and Hitchcock had major arm surgery just two years ago.
"You can never have too much pitching,'' Torre said, searching for a Yogi-ism.
The main reason the Big Apple scribes have focused on Hernandez is because of the way he pitched last season (4-7, 4.85 ERA) and the fact that he was signed only for this season, while Wells and Hitchcock were signed for two years apiece.
Hernandez, who is listed as 32, had toe surgery last season and never really figured out what the problem was with his elbow that bothered him all season. He checked into camp at Legends Field this week saying he was healthy, happy to still be a Yankee and not sure what the six starters meant.
"It is not a problem,'' Hernandez said. "What is needed is for me to work. Nothing else. My (role) is something I don't know right now. No one has spoken to me about what it means. It is not important what I say or think. I can't talk about what I don't know yet.''
Half a dozen lockers away from Hernandez, Clemens was dishing out advice.
"If I were (Hernandez), I would take the position that someone has to take the job away from me,'' Clemens said. "That's the way I'd approach it.
"He's a sensitive guy. You all know that. But when his mind is right, he's nails.''
Clemens then thought for a moment about the other 18 Spring Trainings he has attended and how much changed during each one.
"You can't be sure something's not going to happen,'' Clemens said. "So we just don't know.''
One thing Clemens does know is he would like to see a dogfight.
"I personally hope it's a tough decision on (pitching coach) Mel (Stottlemyre) and Joe because that would mean everybody has done well,'' Clemens said. "By mid-spring, it's going to get interesting."