TAMPA – Jameson Taillon called it “special” to put on a Yankees uniform for the first time on Thursday.
“When you say that, everyone in baseball – every sports fan – knows what the Yankees’ chalk stripes mean,” said Taillon on Friday. “Then [Thursday], putting it on, even just sitting in my closet, I took a picture in my pants just in my closet. I thought it was so cool I didn’t know what it would be like until you really arrived and be part of it and start to feel part of the team and the organization. … I mean, it’s the Yankees. What else can you say? “
Most importantly for the Yankees, Taillon felt so good as a pitcher as he returned from a second Tommy John surgery that left him out for most of 2019 and the entire past season.
“My command has been good and the material has been good,” said Taillon. “I feel like I’m ready for another step here soon. Let’s see how it translates. “
He hopes to face hitters soon, and after what Taillon called an “intense 35-shot bullpen” on Thursday, he was able to launch on Friday and said he “felt great”.
There are numbers for there to be a lot of competition for the fifth starting place this spring and Aaron Boone said on Friday that Deivi Garcia will remain as a starter instead of going to the bullpen.
“We want him to start,” said Boone.
Garcia, 21, said he spent the off-season trying to “simplify” and “improve” all four pitches.
Others in the pen can provide length, including Jonathan Loaisiga.
“We are going to build it,” said Boone of Loaisiga. “It has versatility.”
The Yankees could have some weapons that could start to open the season in the pen.
“I think it’s possible,” said Boone.
Darren O’Day and Adam Ottavino are right-handed, but they have totally different approaches and things like that. In a team – and in a bullpen – that features a lot of hard pitchers, O’Day, who throws a gun, is certainly different, which pitch coach Matt Blake hopes will be a positive development for the team.
“I don’t know if we explicitly said that we need to vary our appearance [in the pen]”Said Blake. “But I think there is value in having different looks throughout the bullpen, so you’re not running seven of the same guys out there and the other team fits that. ”
Before making a deal with Brett Gardner on Friday, the Yankees had only one player – Aroldis Chapman – who had been a World Series champion. When asked about the relative lack of experience in the title, Boone said: “We feel that we have many strong personalities who lead in many different ways and we can still contribute to this mix.”
With Gardner back in the fold, they came back.
Boone also added, “I feel good about the guys emerging as leaders in our room” and pointed to Aaron Judge, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit as examples.