New York Yankees

The biggest question regarding the 2010 Yankees right now is undoubtedly who should win the fifth starter job. I have largely stayed away from the topic, since I'm sure you all are sick of hearing the same things over and over again.

So, instead of debating who should win the fifth starter job, I'd like to take a look at what the Yankees need from their fifth starter. You see, fifth starters tend to be pretty fungible. Usually, the difference between a fifth starter and the sixth guy waiting at Triple-A isn't too vast.

The biggest news out of the New York Yankees spring training camp so far this spring has been the battle for the fifth spot in the club's rotation.

Among the five men battling for the spot, three stand out to me as potential starters for the Yankees come April. Those men would be Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves.

After the first few weeks only one has stood out as a potential fifth starter and that is Alfredo Aceves.

Most people have heard of him by now, Yankees prospect switch-pitcher Pat Venditte . Switch pitcher means he can throw with both his right and left hands, and so far in his Yankee career he’s done so quite well with both arms putting up a 2.34 FIP as a right hander and a 2.26 FIP as a lefty.

Well Venditte is scheduled to be a guest on Yankees Daily’s blogtalkradio show on March 16 and it got me thinking about Venditte.

According to George King of the NY Post , Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria is close to signing a contract near $10 million with the Blue Jays. The Yankees have made a strong push to sign him, but Hechavarria is said to be worried about being blocked by Derek Jeter .

Here is more from the NY Post:

Check out these photos. This is actually a year old, but a couple of blogs have been posting these pictures this week so I thought I’d do the same. The guy who built this is a lego artist Sean Kenney . It is really impressive, especially if you are a big kid like me.

Check it out:

Many baseball lifers point to center field as the immortalized position in Yankee history—and potentially in all of Major League Baseball. Any list headed by Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle deserves such acclaim, but some may forget what is slipping in under the radar in a close second place.

The Yankees have celebrated a long lineage of world class backstops in their illustrious history.

Hector Noesi was signed by the Yankees out of the Dominican Republic in 2005 and debuted in the Gulf Coast League at 19-years-old in 2006. He promptly missed most the 2007 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery.

Noesi is a guy who, due to his age and injuries, managed to stay away from the prospect radar before the 2009 season.

Looking at his 50 or so innings in 2008, it wouldn't have been far-fetched to predict greater success for Noesi in 2009. He was absolutely dominant in 2008, striking out over ten batters per nine innings while walking less than two.

Today's Yankees game against the Atlanta Braves has been rained out, so this is a perfect time to take an updated look at the position battles this spring.

The pitching continues to be a big focus, as Joba Chamberlain has struggled in his two appearances so far. Nick Johnson has come back from a brief injury and is performing well— as is Curtis Granderson. See their battle and the others at Double G Sports.

Joba Chamberlain first flashed on the major league scene in August 2007. He had been called up to the New York Yankees because they were floundering and needed bullpen help.

Chamberlain came in from the pen in 19 games in August and September 2007. He pitched in 24 innings. He gave up ONE earned run and had an ERA of 0.38. His ERA-plus was a stupid 1204. (There is no decimal point there.)

  When it comes to spring training and statistics I am a non-believer. I am obsessed with watching the games, but it is more to get a feel for the players involved and it hardly ever matters to me who won, who lost, or if the players do really well or really poorly.

Sure, part of me cringes a little bit if someone has a horrible day, but in the end I realize it is spring and this doesn’t really count.