Today's News: Pineda's Debut, Nunez Hurt

- Michael Pineda made his spring training debut today for the Yanks against the Phillies at Bright House Field and pitched well. Here's a breakdown from Pete Caldera:

Here’s how he did in the first inning…
Jimmy Rollins: Ground single up the middle (2-2 count)
Placido Polanco: Fielder’s choice groundout (3-2 count)
Shane Victorino: Strikes out (1-2 change-up)
Jim Thome: Strikes out (1-2 fastball)

Second inning:

Hunter Pence: Pops to first (1-1 pitch)
Ty Wigginton: Grounds out, catcher to first (1-1 pitch)
Domonic Brown: Lines out to third (1-1 pitch)

Pineda’s line: 2 IP, 1 hit, 0 BB, 2 K, 30 pitches, 19 strikes.

Afterward, Pineda was asked if he were nervous for his first time out as a Yankee: “Hell, no,” he said.

Pineda, 23, said he was “very confident now…very excited.”

According to Jack Curry, he also used that changeup everyone is banking on and said he was comfortable with the pitch. Nice outing, but there's a lot more to go.

The Yankees also don't seem too concerned that he came into camp 10 pounds overweight.

- As for Eduardo Nunez, he left today's game after being hit on the right hand by Austin Hyatt (who?) in the fifth. Nunez was got precautionary X-Rays and the Yanks are saying he has a contusion.

Garcia Open To Any Role This Season

From George A. King III:

A starting pitcher in 327 of his 329 major league games, Freddy Garcia would prefer to remain in that spot with the Yankees this season.

However, if manager Joe Girardi sends the 35-year-old right-hander to long relief, he won’t have to listen to a protest.

“I have never pitched in the bullpen, but I feel fine [with] whatever happens,’’ Garcia said after a two-inning stint in the Yankees’ 7-4 win over the Phillies at George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday, when he allowed two runs and four hits. “I will be ready for anything. It’s the manager’s decision and I have to do my job and go from there.’’

...

Had Garcia known the Yankees were going to add two more starters to the mix would he have decided to go elsewhere?

“Not really, I like it here,’’ said Garcia.

Not sure this means anything, besides that Freddy is saying all the right things. Then again, that's usually the case in early March. If Phil Hughes gets the 5th spot and craps the bed again, I don't think Freddy will be that OK rotting in the pen.

Alex Rodriguez: Clubhouse Leader?

From Tim Brown:

On the morning of the first game they’d play since Game 5, the night the New York Yankees all went home for the winter, Alex Rodriguez stood before them and, according to witnesses, gave the sort of speech that wouldn’t have been possible five years ago.

Somebody else would have told the Yankees it was time to commit in body and soul to the next eight months.

Somebody with credibility would have reminded them who they are. Somebody with clubhouse authority would have challenged them. Somebody who’d endured the terrible stuff, and drank the sweet stuff, and tested out as an honest-to-goodness Yankee. That guy.

For long enough, that wasn’t A-Rod, not in their eyes and not in his own heart.

But on Friday morning, hours before they’d open their spring schedule against the University of South Florida and start all over again, sources said Rodriguez commanded the room for more than 10 minutes like he never had before.

“It was great,” said one witness. “I’d never seen that out of him before. I didn’t know he had it in him.”

...

Rodriguez wouldn’t talk about his speech, or confirm he even gave one.

According to those in the clubhouse, however, Rodriguez talked about being “all in.” He advised them that, on that subject, there was only black or white, “no gray.” He said each of them – from the biggest superstar to the last guy on the 40-man – knew what “all in” meant. They’d had to have been “all in” just to sit in that room, to make it this far. And that every man knew exactly what his “all in” amounted to, in work ethic and dedication and sacrifice. He asked them to find that within them, to bring it every day, all season long, for the good of the Yankees. For the good of themselves.

“Amazing,” a witness said. “The guys were drawn to him.”

Somebody had to say it.

And, on a Friday leading to his 19th big-league season, Alex Rodriguez became that somebody.

I have to say that I'm impressed that A-Rod has built up enough locker room cred and confidence to pull something like this. Brown is right, this wouldn't have been possible a few years ago. By all accounts he did exactly what a leader is supposed to in one of these types of speeches: let everyone on the team know what the mission is, how to accomplish that, and get everyone on the same page. The all in mentality is a good way of doing that.

"All in" was the battle cry for the NY Football Giants this year and we all saw how they not only bought into the idea, but then took that all for one, one for all attitude and ran through the NFL's best on their way to a 4th Super Bowl.

Something that was lost when Jorge Posada retired was that vocal leader in the clubhouse (according to everything I've read Jeter is a much more quiet leader) and maybe A-Rod is looking to fill that void. And that, to me, is a very good thing. Especially if the team is open to him doing such a thing, which seems to be the case.

Good job, Alex. Now just stay healthy.

The 2012 Postseason Will Officially Include Two More Wild Card Teams

From Barry M. Bloom:

The expansion of Major League Baseball's playoffs with the addition of two Wild Card teams and a one-game elimination in each league will begin this year.

An agreement between MLB and the Players Association, finalized on Friday, adds a second Wild Card in each league, making for a postseason field of 10. The three division winners in each league will await the survivor of a one-game playoff between the Wild Card teams in each league, establishing the Division Series field of four teams in each league. The subsequent Division Series, League Championship Series and World Series formats will remain the same.

For the 2012 postseason only, the five-game Division Series will begin with two home games for lower seeds, followed by up to three home games for higher seeds. This one-year change will eliminate a travel day prior to a decisive Game 5 of a Division Series and was necessary because the 2012 regular-season schedule was announced before the agreement on the new postseason was reached.

Next year, the Division Series will return to the 2-2-1 format used in previous years. Details on the scheduling of the new elimination games between each League's Wild Cards will be announced in the near future.

I wasn't a big fan of this at first, but the idea has grown on me. Now winning the division will actually mean something and those one-game playoffs should be highly entertaining.

Brien Taylor Arrested For Cocaine Trafficking

From John Swartz:

Taylor, 40, was arrested Thursday in Beaufort and now faces a host of cocaine charges after a joint effort between the Carteret County Sheriff's Office and the Morehead City Police Department. Investigators said they bought "a large quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine from Taylor over a period of several months."

The former No. 1 selection in the Major League Baseball draft now faces a slew of charges involving the possession of and the intent to sell and distribute cocaine.

Taylor was placed in the Carteret County Jail under a $275,000 bond and is scheduled for a court appearance Friday morning.

It's amazing how the guy's life changed after that incredibly stupid bar fight. A sad story gets even sadder.

Angelo Gumbs, Your 2012 Breakout Prospect

This entry was posted in part on The Yankee Analysts.

Prospects with flashy tools and unparalleled athleticism often find themselves on the fast track into my heart. Those that are able to couple such glamor with results and other positive indicators are enough to make me swoon. Angelo Gumbs is such a prospect, and I would not be surprised to see him garnering praise this time next year a la Mason Williams … who may well be, dare I say, a slightly less athletic, less powerful version of Gumbs.

At face value, Gumbs’ 2011 production may be categorized as somewhat lacking. In prospecting, though, one must always dig deeper. The future center fielder was the youngest regular in the New York-Penn League this past season, checking in as nearly two months younger than Cito Culver (the second youngest). It’s also worth noting that he is nearly fourteen months younger than Williams – and this, at an age where physical and emotional maturity is of the utmost importance. In terms of tools, Gumbs has plus speed, plus bat speed, plus range at second (and likely plus-plus range in center), solid arm strength, and (possibly) future average power. He has a larger frame and more physicality than either Culver or Williams, and more natural loft in his swing (which often portends over-the-fence power). While he may not hit more than 10 or 15 home runs a year, he would not need to to have a ton of value.

As a little nota bene – I do think he has the tools to stay at second base, where he could likewise be a tremendous player.

Follow me on Twitter - @DomenicLanza

Hal: $189 Million is the Target

From Wallace Matthews:

Hal Steinbrenner got accosted on his way to the elevator by the Yankees' beat crew, and confirmed what GM Brian Cashman has been saying all winter:

The Yankees are in the process of "streamlining'' the payroll, and the magic number is $189 million, which will be the new luxury-tax threshold for the 2014 season as established by the recently ratified CBA.

"I'm looking at is as a goal," Steinbrenner said, "and my goals are normally considered a requirement.''

The only good that can come out of this, besides the Steinbrenner family saving some extra dough, is that fans around the country might slow down a bit with the whole "the Yankees buy their championships" thing. That said, I never cared about those fans or their opinions in the first place.

Welcome to the NL, AJ

From the AP:

Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett will undergo surgery on Friday to repair a fractured right orbital bone.

The right-hander injured himself Wednesday at the team's spring training facilities in Bradenton, Fla., after a bunt attempt caromed off his face. He flew to Pittsburgh late Wednesday to be further evaluated.

There is no immediate timetable for Burnett's return.

To make matters worse, one of the reasons he wanted to go back to the NL was so that he could hit again. Like they say, be careful what you wish for.

Thanks to Robot Devil for pointing out that there was video of the incident: