New York Yankees: 5 Pitching Prospects Who Have a Shot at Opening Day Roster

With spring training games already underway, the New York Yankees are getting the opportunity to evaluate each and every player, as they prepare for the season. Undoubtedly, these observations will lead to some decisions on roster selections.

The Yankees' rotation is certainly being watched carefully, with the top four slots essentially set with CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda and Ivan Nova. Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia battle for the fifth spot. This leaves any potential prospects to break camp left to the bullpen roles.

With a large number of prospects currently in camp, the Yankees have the ability to head up to New York with a few of them to start the season. Here are five potential candidates that could break camp with the Yankees.

Adam Warren

Adam Warren is a candidate to make the big-league roster out of spring training.

Warren is currently listed as the Yanks' 10th-best prospect by MLB.com and is pitching decent thus far in spring training. He has currently pitched five innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs.

Last season, Warren pitched 152.1 innings with a 3.60 ERA as a starter for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in AAA. He accumulated a 2.09:1 K/BB ratio and a 6.56 K/9 last season as well.

Warren is projected to be a back-of-the-rotation guy with a moderate ceiling. However, he may be transferred to the bullpen in case the Yankees need another arm to call upon.

If Warren is going to have a shot of making it on the Opening Day roster, he will have to start to show some improvement in his outings this spring.

Dellin Betances

One half of the Killer B's, Dellin Betances, has a shot of making the Yankees' Opening Day roster—if the club decides to transfer him to the bullpen.

Currently the Yankees' No. 2 prospect and No. 41 overall on MLB.com's list, Betances has been dealing with injury issues in his career thus far, and already at 23 years old may be forcing the Yankees' hand. Some experts believe his transition into the bullpen is inevitable, while others still believe he can be a mid-rotation starter.

In 2011, Betances threw 105.1 innings with a 3.42 ERA for the Trenton Thunder in AA, before being called up to AAA and throwing 21 innings of 5.14 ERA in AAA. All of his appearances were starts. With a K/9 of 10.15 and K/BB ratio of 2.03:1, Betances could be a nice addition to the bullpen to help strengthen the Yanks' pitching staff.

He may follow the path that Joba Chamberlain took and transition into a dominant reliever when healthy.

David Phelps

Already 25 years old, David Phelps may be on the brink of making the Yankees' major league roster.

Coming in at No. 11 on MLB.com's list for Yankee prospects, Phelps projects to be a solid No. 4 or 5 starter if given the opportunity but may switch over to the bullpen to help the team out there.

Phelps threw 107.1 innings with a 3.19 ERA last season in AAA, while accumulating a 3.46:1 K/BB ratio and a 7.55 K/9. In spring training thus far, Phelps has pitched 4.1 innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out two. He has not given up a run yet.

If Phelps can continue this trend of pitching well, he may snag a bullpen slot on the major league roster.

Cesar Cabral

Cesar Cabral was acquired by the Yankees from the Kansas City Royals this past December. A Rule 5 pick by the Royals, he was traded immediately to the Yankees for cash.

Cabral has pitched just 14 innings in the majors, allowing him to maintain his prospect status. He will be competing with Boone Logan to be the lefty reliever out of the pen this season for the Yankees.

So far this spring, Cabral has pitched 4.1 innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out two.

If Cabral can show that he can effectively get lefties out this spring, he may take the job from Logan or may be added to the bullpen along with Logan.

D.J. Mitchell

One potential dark horse for a roster spot in the bullpen is D.J. Mitchell.

Mitchell was mostly used as a starter last season for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in AAA. In 161.1 innings, Mitchell gathered a 3.18 ERA across 28 appearances (with 24 starts). He had a nice 1.7:1 K/BB ratio and 6.25 K/9 last season.

He is likely going to transfer to the bullpen for his career anyways, as he does not profile to be a solid rotation option in the future. He has pitched well this spring, throwing four innings of three-hit, shutout baseball while walking two and striking out one.

Look for him to potentially steal a roster spot if his production this spring continues.