New York Yankees: Final Predictions for Each Key Spring Position Battle

There is no shortage of intrigue in New York Yankees camp this spring.

There have been storylines galore between a number of prized prospects getting an extended look, the return of promising young first baseman Greg Bird and a wide-open starting rotation.

The final two spots in the starting rotation are not the only roster decisions that need to be made, though.

Manager Joe Girardi and his staff also need to decide on a utility infielder and select three arms to round out the relief corps.

Here, we've taken an in-depth look at those positions battles and made predictions for who winds up breaking camp with the team when they head north next month.

Roster Overview

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Aaron Judge has shown this spring that he's ready for the everyday right field job.

Projected Opening Day Roster

Starting Lineup	Starting Rotation
C Gary Sanchez	RHP Masahiro Tanaka
1B Greg Bird	LHP CC Sabathia
2B Starlin Castro	RHP Michael Pineda
3B Chase Headley	**TBD**
SS Tyler Wade (R)	**TBD**
LF Brett Gardner	Bullpen
CF Jacoby Ellsbury	**TBD**
RF Aaron Judge (R)	**TBD**
DH Matt Holliday	**TBD**
Bench	LHP Tommy Layne
C Austin Romine	RHP Tyler Clippard
1B Chris Carter	RHP Dellin Betances
**TBD**	LHP Aroldis Chapman
OF Aaron Hicks

 

Projected DL: SS Didi Gregorius (strained shoulder), 1B/OF Tyler Austin (fractured foot).

Utility Infielder

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press/Associated Press

Ronald Torreyes /

The Early Favorite

• Ronald Torreyes (11-for-42)

Torreyes was the team's primary utility infielder last season, hitting .258/.305/.374 with 12 extra-base hits in 169 plate appearances and playing passable defense all over the infield en route to a 0.5 WAR.

The 24-year-old doesn't offer much in the way of upside, and he's really just a temporary piece with a wave of young infield talent on the way. But he's played well enough this spring that the status quo still looks like the most likely outcome for filling the utility infield spot.

Other Contenders

• Ruben Tejada (7-for-29)
• Tyler Wade (13-for-33, 3 2B)

Not terribly long ago, Tejada was the everyday shortstop for the New York Mets, posting back-to-back 2.0 WAR seasons in 2011 and 2012.

However, a broken leg suffered during the 2015 postseason ended his time with the Mets, and now the 27-year-old is looking to catch on as a non-roster invitee. He offers a bit of offensive upside, but he doesn't have the same team control as Torreyes.

As for Wade, the team's No. 12 prospect has been one of the standouts of camp, embracing his new role as a utility player.

"[Wade] gives you a ton of options. He loves it. And that's why I think he's done so well with it. He loves the idea. You think about it, you have your everyday players, but realistically does it hurt to give him a day off a week? No. So if you've got a guy who can play six positions, he could actually play five or six days a week," manager Joe Girardi said, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.

The 22-year-old looks like the front-runner to replace the injured Didi Gregorius in the starting lineup as he recovers from a strained shoulder, but he could also be the one sent back to the minors once he returns.

Longshots

• Pete Kozma (5-for-25, 2 2B)
• Rob Refsnyder (7-for-33, 2 2B, 1 HR)
• Donovan Solano (4-for-21)

Kozma and Solano both spent the bulk of the 2016 season playing with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate and that's likely where they're headed again to kick off the upcoming season. They're useful veteran depth, nothing else.

As for Refsnyder, he was once viewed as the second baseman of the future, but he's failed to establish himself at the MLB level and now finds himself on the outside looking in.

The Yankees are willing to listen to trade offers for the 25-year-old, according to George A. King III of the New York Post, though he does have one minor league option remaining.

Predicted Winner: Torreyes

No. 4 and No. 5 Starter

Matt Rourke/Associated Press/Associated Press

Adam Warren /

The Early Favorites

• RHP Chad Green (12.0 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 6 BB, 8 K)
• RHP Luis Severino (10.2 IP, 12 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 11 K)

Green showed flashes in his first taste of MLB action last season, posting a 4.73 ERA with a 52-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 45.2 innings of work.

The 25-year-old features a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 97, a slider/cutter hybrid that flashes plus and a changeup that remains a work in progress but has potential. His stuff would undoubtedly play up in the bullpen, but he has enough upside as a starter to continue working in that role for now.

Meanwhile, Severino remains the highest upside arm in the system with legitimate front-line potential. However, his transition to the big leagues has not been a smooth one.

Still just 23, he posted a 5.83 ERA over 71 innings of work last season, although he did enjoy an impressive stint out of the bullpen in September with a 0.60 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 15 innings of work over eight appearances.

He might be best served returning to Triple-A to continue to refine his fastball command and secondary stuff.

Other Contenders

• RHP Luis Cessa (9.2 IP, 13 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7 K)
• RHP Bryan Mitchell (18.2 IP, 18 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 19 K)

Cessa has a mid-90s fastball and a decent changeup, but his breaking stuff is a step behind and he's never missed a ton of bats.

His future might be as a multi-inning middle reliever, and he looked like the clear No. 4 option in this four-man race from the onset. While someone like Severino would benefit from more time in the minors, Cessa looks like a clear candidate for the bullpen if he doesn't win a rotation spot.

Mitchell missed a good chunk of last season recovering from toe surgery but returned to post a 3.24 ERA over five starts down the stretch.

The 25-year-old has an intriguing four-pitch mix with a mid-90s fastball, good cutter, decent changeup and curveball that remains inconsistent but has a chance to turn into a strikeout pitch. He's bounced between the rotation, bullpen and Triple-A the past few seasons and could find himself in a similar situation this year.

Longshots

• LHP Jordan Montgomery (10.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
• RHP Adam Warren (11.2 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)

Montgomery was in camp as a non-roster invitee after going 14-5 with a 2.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 139.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year.

The left-hander could have forced his way into the rotation picture with a lights-out spring. He hasn't pitched poorly by any means, but there's no reason to rush him so expect a return trip to Triple-A.

Instead, it's Warren who may be forcing his way into the conversation.

"He locates. He's got four pitches and he is going to be down in the zone. So it’s something we are really going to have to consider," Girardi told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post of his chance of winning a rotation spot.

The 29-year-old has 21 starts among his 205 career appearances, and he'll be on the Opening Day staff in some capacity, whether it's as a long reliever or at the back of the rotation.

Predicted Winners: Green and Warren

Final 3 Bullpen Spots

John Raoux/Associated Press/Associated Press

Luis Cessa /

The Early Favorites

• RHP Luis Cessa (9.2 IP, 13 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 7 K)
• RHP Bryan Mitchell (18.2 IP, 18 H, 8 ER, 3 BB, 19 K)
• RHP Luis Severino (10.2 IP, 12 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 11 K)

The early assumption heading into Yankees camp was that whoever missed out on a spot in the rotation would likely fall into a bullpen job.

With Chad Green and Adam Warren predicted to round out the starting staff, that leaves Cessa, Mitchell and Severino as the remaining arms looking for work.

While Cessa and Mitchell seem like safe bets to join the relief corps, Severino is another story.

"That's the million-dollar question and we're going to have to talk about it," manager Joe Girardi told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post on the idea of sending Severino back to Triple-A. "You talk about trying to finish off people's development but you also talk about winning."

Other Contenders

• RHP Ben Heller (9.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 8 K)
• RHP Jonathan Holder (8.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)
• LHP Jon Niese (5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K)
• LHP Chasen Shreve (6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K)

This group consists of the three remaining 40-man relievers in camp who are not locked into Opening Day spots and a non-roster invitee in Niese who has a chance to provide some great value if he's healthy. First, he'll need to prove himself, though.

"That's what happens when you're in my situation: You get hurt on your option year and you become a free agent, and all of a sudden, teams aren't quite sure about you," Niese told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. "So you just have to pitch your way back. That's what I'm looking forward to doing."

Heller and Holder have 18 combined MLB appearances to their credit but do represent useful depth, while Shreve was a key bullpen arm in 2015 (59 G, 3.09 ERA, 9.9 K/9) before struggling last season.

Longshots

• RHP Ernesto Frieri (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K)
• RHP J.R. Graham (7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K)
• RHP Jason Gurka (5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)

Graham and Gurka are both still hanging around as non-roster invitees and will likely be heading to the Triple-A bullpen.

Frieri is a potential wild card, though. The Yankees signed the former Angels closer to a minor league deal last week after seeing him pitch for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. He didn't pitch at all last season.

Yet the 31-year-old was touching 95 with his fastball in two scoreless innings against the Dominican Republic team and opposing hitters took notice.

"They talked to me after and they said, 'Dude, man, you're back. I can't pick the ball up out of your hand,'" Frieri told Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.

Time is working against him, and he allowed a home run in his first spring appearances, but he also struck out three. It's not out of the question to think he'll do enough over the next couple weeks to warrant that final spot.

Predicted Winners: Mitchell, Cessa and Frieri

All regular season stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, while spring stats come via MLB.com.