Alfredo Aceves Makes Right Move Skipping Classic

At the end of last season we all got to know Alfredo Aceves just a little.

In 30 innings he put up a 1-0 record with a 2.40 ERA. He was good and it gave fans a little bit of hope for the future.

Now with the signings of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett he has been pushed pretty far back in  the rotation’s depth chart. I guess you could call him the eighth or ninth starter, somewhere between Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke.

In other words, there isn’t much of a chance for him to make the rotation.

So it stands to reason that the worst thing he could have done for his career would have been to skip spring training and pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

Sure he would have gotten a chance to showcase his skills at a high level, but he would have ruined any chance to make the team. After all, how is Girardi going to evaluate him if he can’t even see him? Sportscenter highlights?

“This is my job,” Aceves said. “I cannot leave my job. I have to have a job first. I want to make my team and help the team.”

His staying on the team does little to give him a better chance to make the rotation, but if he impresses Girardi he is the likely front runner for the position of long reliever.

Even if he doesn’t get the job right out of ST, if he impresses Girardi he could be the next in line if Dan Giese is DFA’d to make room on the 40-man roster.

If he didn’t make the choice to skip the WBC, his best prospects probably would have been with another team and the Yankees might have been stuck with Brett Tomko as their long man. OK, even I’m having a tough time believing that one.

Either way, I’m glad he’s sticking around.