What a difference a year makes: Sabathia Yankees’ No. 2 starter
TAMPA — CC Sabathia, who will throw off a mound Wednesday for the first time since Sept. 29, said he is fully confident his right knee will be up to the task following arthroscopic surgery in October.
“I am ready to go. I have been running on the treadmill at 100 percent,’’ the 36-year-old veteran lefty said Tuesday in the clubhouse of George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is undergoing major reconstruction.
At this time last year, Sabathia and Ivan Nova battled until the final week of spring training for the Yankees’ fifth rotation spot, which went to Sabathia. Now, Sabathia is considered the No. 2 starter and Nova, dealt to the Pirates in July, returned to Pittsburgh as a free agent.
“I never worried about [competing against Nova],” Sabathia said. “I love Nova, but I didn’t worry about that.’’
After a disappointing 2015 season, when Sabathia went 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA in 29 starts, the 223-game winner rebounded to post a 9-12 record and 3.91 ERA in 30 starts last year, when he worked 179 ²/₃ innings. It was the most frames Sabathia had hurled since 211 in 2013.
“I will sign up for that,” Sabathia said of duplicating last year’s work.
Sabathia is in the final leg of a five-year, $122 million contract and will make $25 million this season. Yet, as long as his large body allows him to pitch, this won’t be the end of an outstanding career.
“If I am healthy I will play as long as I can. It depends on being healthy,’’ said Sabathia, who has spent time on the disabled list in each of the past five seasons. “I want to play as long as I can.’’
Sabathia arrived in camp with a shaved head and a very fine beard he would love to keep, but can’t because the Yankees prohibit facial hair below the mouth.
Like everyone else, Sabathia is intrigued with the team’s influx of young prospects and especially is looking forward to seeing lefty Justus Sheffield, who came from the Indians in the Andrew Miller trade.
With Didi Gregorius leaving the Yankees to play for the Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, highly regarded shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres will get playing time in exhibition games.
“Why not? I have always thought that if you are in camp, whether you are a young player or not, you need to play,’’ manager Joe Girardi said. “He is a shortstop and Didi is going away, so there will be some days there.’’
Torres, 20, was acquired from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman deal in July.
Girardi hasn’t told Masahiro Tanaka the news, but it’s no surprise the right-hander will be the Yankees’ starter against the Rays on Opening Day, April 2. It will be his third straight Opening Day assignment.
“I don’t see him not being the Opening Day starter unless something arises,’’ Girardi said of the ace right-hander, who went 14-4 with a 3.07 ERA in 31 starts a year ago when he worked 199 ²/₃ innings in the best of his three years as a Yankee.
One year after attempting to make it back to the big leagues with the Yankees, Nick Swisher will be in spring training with the club as a guest instructor.
Swisher, a Yankee from 2009-12, when he batted .268 with an .850 OPS, played in 55 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year hoping to get promoted to the Yankees but that didn’t happen. He batted .255 with a .674 OPS.
Other guest instructors include Hall of Famers Goose Gossage and Reggie Jackson, as well as Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Lee Mazzilli and Stump Merrill.