TAMPA – Forget the dispute for a place in the rotation.
Domingo German may be competing with Gerrit Cole to be the ace of the Yankees’ team.
The right-hand continued his dominant spring with four more goalless entries in the 4-2 victory over the Phillies on Monday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, eliminating six and allowing for three strokes and a walk.
“He looked really polite, ” said Aaron Boone of the tour. “You kind of say, ‘This is a very good pitcher. A guy who can do a lot of things on the hill. ” ‘
And it is difficult to imagine the German anywhere but in the Yankees’ rotation to start the season, now that he has thrown nine innings of shutout in three early spring, with 13 eliminations and having allowed only five strokes and a walk.
But more than that, the Yankees are not looking to simply build the best five-player rotation for April. They are looking for as many pitchers as they can get to get them through October and help them win the playoffs.
That’s why they were at risk of hiring Corey Kluber after he dealt with injuries in the past two seasons and why they switched to Jameson Taillon when he was leaving for a second Tommy John surgery.
They clearly aimed at a high ceiling instead of just finding pots to fill in the entrances.
German was in the process of showing how trustworthy he could be at the end of the year, when his 2019 season came to an abrupt end due to the incident with his girlfriend in September, which led to a ban on 81 games for violating the League’s domestic policy. Baseball’s main abuse policy.
Since returning to the Yankees this spring, German has drawn criticism from his teammates for his actions in 2019, but apparently won over at least most of them by addressing the team at the beginning of the camp.
“I’m excited to see what he can do, ” said Aaron Judge on Monday. “He is a big part of this team.”
And on the hill, German looks as good as ever, surprising even Boone.
The manager said the expectations for the German were “a little unknown” after he was out for the whole of 2020 and played briefly in the Dominican Republic’s winter league.
“We haven’t seen it much or haven’t looked at it much, so we’re not sure what to expect,” said Boone. “I would say that the lack of rust has been impressive. Seriously, since his first bullpen and every step of the way, he has been very sharp. This is a very good and experienced pitcher. “
This is something that cannot be said about Deivi Garcia, who was considered Germany’s main competitor for the last place in the rotation.
The 21-year-old right-handed man is also doing well, but the German was at a different level throughout the spring, according to scouts who saw the two.
As Boone said, Garcia has room to grow.
“I think he can be a great pitcher for the big league now? Absolutely I do, ” said Boone. “But is there more development for a child between 21 and 22 years old? Of course there is. But that does not mean that I do not think that the development can come from the level of the big leagues. “
With just over two weeks to go before Opening Day – and at least three weeks before the Yankees need one of them to start a game in the major leagues – Boone said it is a subject that he and his team “will have a lot of conversations about. in.”
Then he pointed to DJ LeMahieu’s first game as a Yankee in 2019, when LeMahieu spent the opening day on the bench because, as Boone said, “someone has to sit down.”
The position of the German in the rotation has not yet been determined. When asked if he considered himself an ace, due to his performance this spring, German said through an interpreter: “No, I see myself as a normal baseball player. I just want to keep doing my job and try to win a place in the rotation. It doesn’t matter what it is. “